What Makes a Family
by MagicSwede1965
Summary: A couple of big surprises affect a family reunion on the island. Follows 'Blue Moon, Black Lightning'.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _I have a couple other projects going at the same time, and I didn't want to shortchange this story by having my attention distracted in two different directions. But once I started this, it got pretty easy to write, so it's my hope to have it completed within a couple of weeks at the most. (Training for stepmotherhood is very time-consuming.) I think it's time to repeat the disclaimer, to wit: Mr. Roarke, Julie, Tattoo and Lawrence (wherever mentioned in the latter two cases) are all the property/brainchildren of the late Aaron Spelling and/or Gene Levitt. Everybody else is mine, unless I inadvertently borrowed from some poor nameless fellow scribe. Thanks go as always to Harry2, PDXWiz, jtbwriter, Bishop T and of course, Mishee. :)_

* * *

§ § § -- July 25, 2005

"Oh, Leslie, you really got _King's Castle_?" exclaimed Michiko and laughed. "I didn't even know it was out."

"For my birthday," Leslie said, nodding. "We've had to sneak in episodes when the triplets are asleep. Now that they're all walking, we have to watch them every single second—almost literally!" Michiko laughed, nodding knowingly.

"It gets better, I promise. So come on, you can't tell me you haven't got some other vintage TV shows in there." She rose to her knees long enough to awkwardly walk on them, so she could get closer to the DVD rack where Christian and Leslie kept their collection.

"That's all we own," Christian wisecracked from the kitchen, where he was cleaning his little coffeemaker. "Leslie refuses to consider anything filmed after about 1985."

"Hey, you're the one who insisted on special-ordering some obscure little _jordisk_ TV series you claimed to watch religiously when you were ten or eleven," Leslie retorted with a grin, and he laughed good-naturedly and turned back to the coffeemaker. Michiko chuckled too and made herself comfortable on the floor while Leslie tugged out a DVD they had been sent for the triplets' birthday nearly two months before. "And then there's this—something called _Katrina Kattunga_. It's a program aimed at preschoolers, just the triplets' speed. They have a CD that Carl Johan and Amalia sent them for Christmas; now they can see this little animated kitten rather than just hearing her sing at them."

"That looks adorable," Michiko said, grinning, examining the DVD. "How much of it can you understand?"

"Barely more than the triplets do," Leslie admitted cheerfully. They both laughed, and just then the doorbell rang. The triplets promptly climbed to their feet and scuttled for the door, yelling enthusiastically all the way; Michiko teasingly covered her ears with her hands. Christian managed to beat the triplets to the door while Leslie snickered resignedly at the cacophony. "That must be Nick and Myeko."

It was; the Okadas laughingly dodged the excited triplets and made their way into the living room while Christian tried to herd the three toddlers into the kitchen with him. Michiko got up and hugged Myeko, shook Nick's hand, and settled into chairs with them while Leslie put away the DVD sets and half-jogged into the kitchen, waving to Myeko and Nick on the way. "You look great, Michiko," Myeko remarked with some envy. "Actually, you always do."

"That's part of the trouble I have to go to as a public figure," Michiko said with little rancor. "I admit, sometimes it's a pain. There are days when I'd give everything Errico ever gave me just for a day when I can go out without putting on makeup and wearing just jeans and a T-shirt. But not in Arcolos, and especially not for an Arcolosian royal. It's a habit now to put on makeup even if I'm just spending the day in the palace."

"I should have your problems," Myeko said, rolling her eyes, while Christian and Leslie trooped through, loaded down with triplets.

"Oh, give me a break," Nick snorted, grinning. "You'd never want that kind of life."

"That just shows what you know, Okada," Myeko returned, making a jovial face at him. "I was thinking of asking Mr. Roarke to let me and Michiko switch places for a week, even a day, if Michiko was willing."

"Hey, that means you'd be with Errico," Nick protested, "and I'd be with Michiko. Uh, no offense, Michiko." They all laughed, including Christian and Leslie, who had paused with their children. The triplets were complaining about being removed from the scene, and Michiko sat up.

"Oh, let them stay awhile," she coaxed. "I wanted to get pictures of them for Errico anyway. Please?"

"It's close to their bedtime, but okay," Leslie agreed. "It's kind of a special occasion anyway. Christian and I are headed for Lilla Jordsö in a couple of weeks for our usual vacation and to be at Gabriella's wedding, but the triplets are staying at Father's house while we're gone. It's going to be quite a change in routine for them."

Michiko tickled Susanna under the chin as Leslie settled her onto the sofa beside her. "Why aren't you taking them with you?"

"It's nearly a full day's worth of series of commercial flights, and I don't think it's very wise to put them through that," Christian said, taking a seat with Tobias on his lap. "Not to mention all the other passengers. I'm not exactly making enough money to be able to afford a private jet, after all. They'd be happier staying here, I think."

"You've never had separation anxiety with these little characters?" Myeko asked in surprise, lifting Karina onto her lap while the little girl peered curiously at Myeko's facial features and jet-black hair.

"Not so far," said Leslie and made a face. "Now that I've said that, we will. Father claims he's looking forward to an entire month of spoiling his grandchildren, but I've been wondering how he's going to work with three active toddlers underfoot, Mariki or no Mariki. And oh geez, speaking of Mariki…"

Christian laughed aloud. "Leslie's afraid Mariki's going to concoct some peculiar new diet for the triplets, and that when we get home she'll find they're addicted to _jordsklockor_ and strange Hawaiian dishes Mariki claims have been in her family for generations on end. I tried to tell her Mr. Roarke will keep her in line, but she isn't convinced."

"My love, you know Mariki's got a mind of her own," Leslie said.

"I do know, but she's still his employee—and besides, they're his grandchildren, not hers. She has to defer to him, and he knows what we usually feed them and what they're not yet old enough to have. He'll keep her in line, my Rose, trust me."

"He'd better," said Leslie fiercely—in perfect unison with Michiko and Myeko. All the adults burst out laughing; the triplets chortled in response, and Michiko fished out her digital camera and started reeling off snaps of the toddlers, trying to catch their animated facial expressions. Eventually, when Karina began to yawn, Leslie laid down the law, and she and Christian carted the triplets up to bed for the night.

"So Michiko," Myeko began once they were comfortably seated and Ingrid had delivered iced tea and a slightly altered version of Lilla Jordsö's signature summer drink, cherry seltzer, "what're your plans while you're here?"

"First things first—killing off the jet lag. I used to have no problem with it at all. I could hop a plane and jet off to Europe in my singing days and never notice the time difference. Now it's another story entirely."

"No way," said Nick in disbelief. "I get jet lag going from one end of this island to the other. How can you keep from getting it going halfway around the world?"

Michiko snickered. "At the time, I wasn't going halfway around the world, just half a dozen time zones or so. I did it because of my total inability to sleep on a plane, no matter how tired I am. I just can't sleep in a moving vehicle. So I'd stay awake throughout the flight, all night long, and then go about my usual day once I was back on the ground. By the time local night fell, I was dead tired, and I could drop into a bed at my usual time and go right to sleep. And just like that, I was adjusted to the local time zone."

"That's ingenious," Christian remarked, impressed. "Most of the time I made the mistake of sleeping my flights away. Usually flying itself wears me out so much that I sleep not only while I'm actually flying, but for a full night when I've landed. The problem is that we have to cross twelve time zones, not six. The family generally gives us a couple of days to get readjusted…supposedly. My nieces and nephews are around in no time clamoring for life advice. They apparently find their respective parents lacking, so I have to dispense sage suggestions and time-tested wisdom. I even told a niece once that I'm not Confucius, but truly, I think they believe I'm his reincarnation."

They all laughed. "That's just their way of showing they love you, Christian," Michiko teased him.

"Ach," Christian grunted, evoking more laughter. "Well, in any case, once you've got yourself accustomed to the local clock, what happens then?"

"I've been thinking about this for a very long time," said Michiko slowly. "Leslie, you might remember this from last year. I still want to have a complete Tokita family reunion at my parents' house—all five of us, spouses and children, and Kiichiro and Kayoko's grandson too." Myeko tensed.

Leslie caught it, but said only, "Do they all know about it?"

"I still have to notify Saburo and Kalani," said Michiko, "but everybody else knows. Reiko's flying in with Mattéano, and Errico plans to come with her, but he's going to be here only three days or so. He doesn't like to be away from Arcolos too long at a stretch, now that he's the king." The others nodded. "Kiichiro and Kayoko were so much easier to notify since they moved here. They get the responsibility of seeing to it that their kids get here. And Hachiro knows about it too, but I'm not sure if he's coming."

"We didn't know if you'd heard about his new grown-up name," Myeko said, with just enough acid that everyone noticed. "I can't even remember to call him by it."

"Mother and Father always did, so it's easier for me," Michiko said, studying Myeko with a faintly apprehensive look about her. "Myeko…I know it's asking a lot…but I'd be so glad if Alexander and Noelle could be there."

Silence fell in the room, and Christian and Leslie looked uneasily at each other. Nick shifted his weight in his chair, and the movement caught Myeko's attention. "Nick…"

"I can't do or say anything, Myeko," Nick said, shrugging. "It'd be stretching it to call me part of the family. I know they haven't seen him in years…"

Michiko broke in, "Myeko, I know that's really Hachiro's fault more than yours. But I'm not doing this for him—it's for my parents. Mother said some time back that she saw you in the grocery store once and asked about Alexander and Noelle. It thrilled her to death to be able to pass on what you told her about them. Myeko, please—I'm not even saying you yourself have to be there, but it would do my parents such a world of good."

Myeko stared at her, looking pained. "Michiko, seriously. I'd have to be there. They don't really know your mom and dad. I mean, hell, I'm not sure they even know Toki. I mean, uh, Hachiro." She threw her hands in the air. "I don't even know what to call him!"

"Just don't, then," Michiko said softly. "I'm not asking you to try to make nice with him or anything. It may be all he can do to keep up with those five rambunctious boys of his. I'm hoping that now he and Lani are finally about to get a girl, they'll quit having babies. Even Mother's a little alarmed." They laughed quietly, and Michiko tilted her head, her petite, delicate frame taut with tension and hope. "Please. Not for me, definitely not for Hachiro—for my parents."

Myeko slowly turned red, sitting there fidgeting frantically and looking everywhere but at Michiko. When her eyes settled at last on Nick, he instantly lifted both hands as if to ward her off. "Myeko, this isn't my problem."

"You're no help," she said, clearly wounded, and Michiko winced. By now Leslie had a fist against her mouth, gnawing on a couple of knuckles; and Christian's expression was a strange mix of discomfort, worry and apprehension.

"Oh, come on," Nick said, a thread of impatience in his tone. "I didn't sign on to play sides in feuds with your ex. You told me you practically never saw him anyway, and for that matter, we actually haven't seen the guy since our honeymoon at least."

"And that's my fault?" Myeko demanded.

"In a way, I think it is," Nick told her candidly. "When Noelle and Alexander decided they didn't feel like seeing Toki—I mean Hachiro—anymore, you seemed all too happy to give in. If they don't know him or his side of the family, it's because you let them have their way. Since he apparently doesn't come here too much and you have no reason to go to Hawaii, well, that may be one thing…but Mr. and Mrs. Tokita live right here on the island, and Noelle and Alexander don't know them either. Why is that?"

Myeko had gone very pale and was gaping at him as if betrayed. Christian looked grim, and Leslie scraped a knuckle raw enough that she tasted blood. Michiko had turned very red and sat worrying a button on her blouse almost till it came off. Silence reigned for a bit, and then Myeko finally croaked, "You…were supposed to be on my side."

"I am on your side, but I think the kids should know their true family," Nick said. "Don't get me wrong, Myeko, I love them like my own. But I don't think it's fair that they don't know their own family."

"Why haven't you ever said anything before?" Myeko cried in disbelief. "You were just as happy to play stand-in dad to my kids, and I never saw you put any pressure on them to go visit their father. I really don't want to see Toki—"

"Hachiro," Nick corrected.

"Fine," Myeko snarled, _"Hachiro._ Whatever the hell people are calling him these days. The fact is, I don't want to see him. Trouble is, if Alexander and Noelle are going to this thing of Michiko's, I have to go with them—_alone,_ since you've decided to withdraw all your support, moral or otherwise. Instead of trying to help me, you're removing yourself from any hint of fights or confrontations and telling me I'm on my own. Well, you know what, Nick Okada, if that's the way you want it, then that's just what you'll get. I think Alexander and Noelle and Dawn and I are going to go stay with my parents for a while."

"No, you aren't taking Dawn. She's not a Tokita, she's my kid," Nick barked.

"She's my child too!" Myeko shouted, then slapped a hand over her mouth and shot Christian and Leslie an apologetic look through the tears that had filled her eyes. "I hope I didn't wake up the triplets. But I'm sorry…I can't take this anymore. If you two don't mind, I've gotta go. Sorry, Michiko." She got up and ran out.

"How's she going to get home?" Nick snorted, disgusted. "We brought my jeep over here…" He sat up. "Dammit, she's gonna abandon me here, isn't she!" Before Christian, Leslie or Michiko could respond, they heard an engine roar to life outside, giving him his answer, and fade away within a few seconds.

Christian took a deep breath while Leslie quietly sucked on her bleeding knuckle and Michiko sat looking beaten. "Look, Nick, I'll be glad to take you home, but maybe you'd better give Myeko a little space first."

"You mean time enough for her to run off with my daughter as well as her two?" Nick asked bitterly. "Guess that's what friends are for."

"If you're going to blame anyone, Nicholas Okada, then blame me," snapped Michiko all of a sudden, glaring at him. "It was my request that caused all this in the first place. But Christian's right, I think you need to leave Myeko alone. Since you refused to get yourself involved in what you think is entirely other people's mess, then you shouldn't be allowed to leave here till she's had time to pack up the kids and go to her parents' house. And I think that should include Dawn, as long as I'm being frank here. Hachiro's wife is bringing her two kids from a previous marriage, even though they're no more Tokitas than Dawn is. You wouldn't give Myeko the emotional support she wanted and needed from you—you more or less told her to go it alone, and that's exactly what she's doing. So you might as well stick around till she has a chance to leave."

Nick gawked at her. "You do that to King Errico too? Order him around like that?"

"This has nothing to do with Errico, so leave him out of it! Oh, you blind idiot…" She sprang out of her seat and shook her head disgustedly. "I'll be in the guest room, Leslie." With that she left as fast as she could gracefully walk.

"Do you want to wait here, or on the front steps?" Leslie finally asked Nick quietly.

Nick sighed. "I'll wait outside." He got up and went out, and Leslie stared at her still-bleeding knuckle. Christian promptly got up and settled down beside her, drawing her into his embrace and taking her hand to examine the abused knuckle.

"You'd better put something on this, my Rose," he advised gently.

"I know," Leslie murmured and looked up at him with swimming eyes. "I feel a little at fault myself. After all, I agreed to have Nick and Myeko over so Michiko could ask…"

"My darling, you had no way of knowing it would fall apart so," Christian said softly, pulling her closer so that her head rested against his. "Perhaps you did take a bit of a risk, since you knew Myeko wasn't very sanguine about the whole concept. But you couldn't have foreseen that she and Nick would have an argument about it. It was his choice to distance himself from the whole problem."

"Why would he do something like that?" Leslie murmured, bewildered. "I thought they loved each other. I thought—"

Christian broke in, "Just because they had this falling-out doesn't mean they're about to get a divorce. It's possible Nick just isn't willing to get involved. That happens more often than you'd think. Different people deal differently with a given situation, and there's no more you can do but respect the decision he made. Myeko doesn't have to, but I'm afraid you and I do. Unless he comes to us and directly asks for advice, we can only stand by and look on, no matter how little we like what we see."

After a long silence Leslie sighed reluctantly, "Yeah, I know. But it sure stinks."

Christian laughed. "I have to agree with that. Well, come on, my Rose, let's treat that poor knuckle of yours, and then we'll look in on Michiko."


	2. Chapter 2

§ § § -- July 25, 2005

Myeko didn't bother with the niceties. When she got home she marched in on her kids and announced, "Okay, guys, start packing. We're going to your grandparents'."

"What for?" asked Alexander, barely looking up from the video game he was playing.

"Because I told you to," she said, getting a strange look from him but ignoring it. "Let's get on the stick, right now."

Noelle twisted around in her chair, forgetting the Harry Potter book she was reading. "Mom, what's going on? Hey, where's Daddy? You went to the Enstads' together, didn't you? How come he's not here?"

"He's probably still out in the car," said Alexander, sounding bored and absentminded at the same time, already re-engrossed in his game. "He'll be in."

"No he won't," announced Myeko, stooping long enough to take Dawn's hand to lead her nearly-four-year-old daughter toward the stairs. "He's still at the Enstads', and right now I'd rather not talk about him. We're going as soon as you two are packed, so hurry up, let's get started."

Noelle folded her arms over her chest and looked skeptically at her mother. "Are you gonna tell us why we have to, or what?" She blinked and cringed slightly at the blazing glare she got in return, and cleared her throat. "Well, I just thought we should know."

"I'm packing too, and so's Dawn," Myeko said. "I intend to be gone before Nick gets back here." She finally got Alexander's attention with this statement, and pressed her advantage by offering, "Tell you what, if you guys get packed up, I promise to tell you what's happening on the way to your grandparents' house." She didn't wait for their response but pulled Dawn along with her toward the stairs.

"Mommy, I want my Barbie," Dawn protested plaintively.

"We'll get it on the way out," Myeko promised, harried. "First let's pack some clothes for you at Grandma and Grandpa's." She was thankful that Taro, Stephanie, Noah and Tia had moved into a condominium near town earlier that month; there would be room for her and the kids. The thought of her brother and his children reminded her unwillingly of the reunion Michiko had asked her to come to, and she winced and tried to push it out of her mind for the moment. Time enough to think about it when they were on their way to her parents' house.

It was almost half an hour before they finally got going, and Noelle leaned over the back of the front seats, looking impatient. "Come on, Mom, why are we going to Grandma and Grandpa's…and without Daddy?"

Myeko hesitated, searching for a way to explain that didn't have to include her own turmoil about the Tokita reunion. After a minute she decided to start with the reunion itself. "You two, Alexander and Noelle, have been invited to the Tokita family reunion," she said carefully. "Your Aunt Michiko's hoping you'll come."

Alexander and Noelle stared at each other in amazement for a moment; then Noelle fell back in her seat, blinking, and Alexander started to pick at the hem of one leg of his shorts. "That sounds so weird," he finally remarked. " 'Aunt Michiko', I mean. It's not like we see her that much, or anybody else…especially our dad."

"But Nick's our dad, not…him," Noelle argued. "He never comes to see us or anything, so he wouldn't care if we were there. And besides, don't he and his girlfriend have about ten million boys by now?"

"She's his wife, Noelle, and your stepmother," Myeko said, more patiently than she might have expected to. For one thing, she was feeling no more amenable toward her older children's father than they were; and for another, she was trying not to laugh at Noelle's assessment of Toki…wait, Hachiro. _Dammit, I _still_ can't remember._ "And they don't have ten million boys, just seven, including her kids from her first marriage."

"That sounds like ten million to me," Noelle said direly. "I remember them from when the oldest ones were babies. Theirs, I mean, not hers. They were always fawning over the babies, and I could've been dead for all they cared."

"They didn't pay much attention to me, either," Alexander admitted. "When I quit going to visit them, the oldest ones were walking, and they ruined a couple of books I took with me and lost most of my Matchbox cars. Figured I'd never see 'em again."

Myeko carefully stifled a smile. "Aunt Michiko says they're expecting a sixth child together, and this one's going to be a girl."

"Finally!" Noelle exploded in disbelief. "It's about time!"

Alexander said incredulously, "You mean they kept popping out kids 'cause they were trying to get a girl?"

"Sounds like it to me," Myeko said and let the stubborn smile have its way. "In any case, she says they're all going to be there, and she thinks it would be wonderful if you two were there as well, for the sake of your grandparents on your dad's side. After all, your last name is still Tokita."

"Yeah," Alexander mumbled, sighing. "I guess we just never really thought about it. I mean, who ever thinks about their name, y'know?" Myeko nodded sympathetically, and he picked at his shorts some more, then frowned. "So how come Dad's…Nick's not here?"

"We had an argument at the Enstads'," Myeko said, clearing her throat. "What it was about…well, let's say it had to do with the reunion, and he's not going." She glanced at Alexander and then at Noelle in the mirror. "Look, you know, it's really up to the two of you. I know you're estranged from your dad, and you probably can't remember your grandparents. Nick thinks that's my fault."

"How could that be?" Alexander asked. "We're the ones who said we didn't wanna go to Hawaii anymore."

"Yeah, that's right," Noelle chimed in.

"But I allowed it," Myeko said slowly. "Maybe that wasn't the best choice I could've ever made, but I was really upset with your father for a long time, and it took me years to get over it. I don't think I'm really over it even now."

"If we go, are you going too?" Noelle asked.

"Yes," Myeko said, "but you don't have to. It was an invitation, not a command. You don't have to answer it right away, you've got time to think about it."

Alexander and Noelle looked at each other again, then fell silent and lost themselves in their own thoughts. Myeko followed suit, wondering what this whole crazy thing was going to do to her friendship with Michiko—not to mention her marriage to Nick.

§ § § -- July 27, 2005

With the triplets now mobile, Leslie and Christian tended to leave them at home in Ingrid's capable care while they worked; and though Roarke respected their choice, he admitted that while the quiet was nice, he rather missed the funny sounds his grandchildren made. "I seem to have grown quite accustomed to their faces, to paraphrase a quote," he said to Leslie with surprised amusement.

"Tell you what, Father, when Christian and I are in Lilla Jordsö, you'll have your fill of their faces…and everything else about them," she teased him. "By the time we get back, you'll be dying for the peace and quiet you're bemoaning now."

Roarke chuckled. "Perhaps, perhaps." He opened a desk drawer and removed a sheet of paper, which he unfolded and examined for a moment, his levity fading away. "I'd like you to go and meet the ten-o'clock charter. Two of its passengers are to meet with me as soon as they disembark, and I would appreciate your escorting them here."

"Something special, hm?" Leslie asked with idle curiosity.

"They have applied to immigrate here," Roarke said. Immigration to the island was as stringently regulated as ever, but there hadn't been any applicants for quite a few years now. Leslie had wondered if Roarke had tightened the rules since the September 11 terrorist attacks, though in fact the lack of immigration went back quite a few more years than that. "I want to be sure," he concluded, "that they meet all the criteria."

Leslie nodded. "Okay. How'll I know them?"

"According to the master manifest I have here, they'll be the only Asians aboard, so you should have no trouble recognizing them. They have been instructed to look for you as well, to be certain that you connect and can get them here."

Leslie nodded. "Okay, that's fine." She reached into the gold box on his desk for a key, and he suddenly noticed her left hand.

"Leslie, what happened to your hand?" he inquired.

Surprised for a moment, she glanced at the Band-Aid there and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, that. I scraped my knuckle the other day." She plucked out a key and added, "See you later," and headed for the door.

She should have known Roarke would somehow sense that that wasn't the full story. "You have plenty of time before you must be there for the charter," he said. "Come and sit down, and tell me about it."

"Drat," she mumbled to herself and heard Roarke's soft laugh, and sank into a chair with another silly smile. "Well, it started out innocently enough…" She went on to describe to Roarke the events of Monday evening. "So now Myeko and Nick aren't speaking to each other, thanks to a phone call Myeko and I had yesterday, and I don't know whether Myeko is speaking to Michiko, who's not talking to Nick either." Roarke laughed, and she grinned reluctantly back. "I don't know what'll happen in the end. Michiko planned the reunion for a date after Christian and I are supposed to be in Lilla Jordsö."

"Ah," said Roarke, then glanced at her hand. "But you still haven't explained your little injury there."

"The whole time Nick and Myeko were arguing and Michiko was trying to get Myeko to at least consider taking the kids to the reunion, I was sitting there biting my knuckle. After Myeko left Nick at our house and Nick went out to wait for a ride home and Michiko hid in the guest room, Christian decided it might be potentially life-threatening and insisted I put something on it, so he made me wash my hands for two solid minutes, then sprayed Bactine on it and stuck a Band-Aid across the whole thing."

Laughing, Roarke chided gently, "Perhaps you exaggerate Christian's concern, my child. You seem to enjoy teasing him over his worry about you."

Leslie snickered and admitted good-naturedly, "Yeah, I probably do. I can't help it, though, after all the nuttiness we went through when I was pregnant. He says he got all that stuff for the triplets, to ward off future infections from little scrapes now that they're walking. I'm not exactly convinced, but I didn't feel like arguing the point."

"If Christian is overprotective, you might be grateful, since in the end it's far preferable to his indifference. In any case, he was right—there is very little you can do. The most you can offer is to continue to be friends to both Nicholas and Myeko, and provide moral support; but Myeko and her children must make their own decisions, and Nicholas' dilemma is his alone. I know how quickly and easily you empathize, so try to keep that in mind." He smiled at her. "All right?"

"Message received, Father, and thanks." Leslie arose and absently turned the key over and over for a moment. "I only wish I didn't feel as if I should bear some blame."

"You and Christian merely provided the neutral ground on which Michiko and Myeko could meet," Roarke pointed out. "What happened thereafter could hardly have been anticipated, so you have no culpability. Go on to the plane dock, Leslie, and ease your mind about all this. I know it's difficult to see problems between your friends, but they must work it out for themselves." She nodded, and he watched her depart.

Leslie had a ten-minute wait for the charter, which time she passed by idly chatting with the attendants, and eventually the plane taxied into the lagoon and was soon discharging its passengers. The last to deplane were an Asian man whose age Leslie couldn't easily determine, with a boy who appeared to be ten or eleven years old at his side. Both looked a little lost and uncertain, and Leslie approached them with a welcoming smile. "Mr. Yanagi? My name's Leslie Enstad. Welcome to Fantasy Island."

The newcomer smiled and shook hands with her. "Oh yes, Mrs. Enstad," he said, in very good English with an accent familiar to Leslie from years of knowing Michiko's parents and Myeko's father. "Mr. Roarke's daughter. Thank you, and it is good to be here after such long flights. Yes, I am Tetsuo Yanagi, and this is my son, Hiroshi. He speaks some English, although I fear he must be enrolled in special classes if we are allowed to settle here."

Leslie nodded. "That's all right, there are teachers who can handle that. My father asked me to bring you to the main house so he can speak with you, and he'll arrange for accommodations and other necessities for you. Just follow me."

Leslie dropped off the father and son at the main house, stuck her head in long enough to alert Roarke, and then left on another errand. Roarke smiled and arose while the Yanagis entered the room, and he bowed to them. "Yanagi-san, welcome to Fantasy Island, and to your son as well."

Tetsuo Yanagi bowed in return and the boy bowed even deeper. "I am honored, Roarke-san. I can only hope our petition will be approved."

"Please, won't you both sit down? Would either of you care for anything?" Roarke invited, and when they both declined, he lifted the pages of his date book and extracted two well-folded sheets of paper that had lain between the last page and the back cover. "Yes, I must say, I found your petition quite intriguing. A linguist with fluency in the ancient aboriginal language of Japan? Most fascinating."

Yanagi smiled a little. "It is not a learned fluency, sir, but an honest one. I was orphaned young, and raised by an elderly couple and their daughter, who were the last of a clan that had stubbornly preserved the Ainu tongue for many generations. The couple were like my grandparents, their daughter like my mother. She married and bore children, and I married their only daughter. Hiroshi is our son and he is thirteen."

Roarke looked thoughtfully at the boy and smiled at him; Hiroshi shyly returned it. "I had thought him to be somewhat younger."

"He is a little small for his age," Yanagi explained. "I expect he will grow very quickly, very soon now. My son speaks fluent Ainu as well as Japanese, and he has enough English to get by, but he wishes to attain fluency in English also."

"Of course," said Roarke. "The preservation of a lost tongue is a noble undertaking, and I have always been interested in such things myself. Does your livelihood have anything to do with the ancient language?"

"I had hoped to find tenure in a university in Japan, so that I could continue my studies of the language and perhaps teach it to others who showed interest. However, I was unable to obtain a position. Everywhere I turned, there was a singular lack of enthusiasm, and at last I grew discouraged. I took work in an office, and in the meantime I began to wonder who my people were. I knew I had not been born to those who raised me, for they told me so at a very early age. When I failed to find a university position and my wife died, I thought perhaps it was a good time to appeal here. And while waiting, I began to research my family using what resources were available to me." He cleared his throat. "That turns out to be another reason I hope to settle here. I discovered that all the family I have left in the world is here, on Fantasy Island."

"Indeed!" said Roarke with interest. "May I ask who they are?"

"I believe you may be acquainted with them, sir," said Tetsuo Yanagi, his smile revealing his hope for the first time. "I found my second cousin—Masato Tokita—and learned that he raised his family on your island."

Roarke took this in with surprise, holding his silence for the moment. It was quite the revelation; and if it were true, he would award Tetsuo and Hiroshi Yanagi immigrant status, and they could become citizens when they had been here a full year, as with any other immigrant. He himself would do a little fact-checking. "I see," he said finally. "Are the Tokitas aware of your existence? Have you contacted them?"

"No, sir," Yanagi said quietly. "I was unsure of my reception. I know little about the family, and I do not wish to disturb them."

Roarke considered that with a small smile. "I daresay you would be welcomed," he said. "Masato Tokita served as sheriff in town for many years, and he was well-liked and much respected. He was born and raised right here on the island and married a young lady from Japan who had come here on a visit with her family. They have five children, all of whom are grown and married with their own families."

"Tokita," said Yanagi slowly and frowned, as if trying to call up an elusive memory. "I have thought almost since I discovered my relationship to them that their name seemed familiar somehow, but I have never been able to figure out why."

"Perhaps it is due to their daughter Michiko," Roarke suggested. "She married the current king of Arcolos."

Yanagi came to attention, his eyes lighting with recognition. "Yes, of course, that was the reference! Thank you, Mr. Roarke. I wondered if it were true after all, that I could really be part of the family, but all my research confirms my initial discovery. I can give you the sources of my information, if you wish to check on it."

"I believe I will do that, yes," Roarke said, nodding, "and your assistance will be very welcome. I see little grounds for rejecting your petition, Mr. Yanagi, but I feel it wise to wait until all the facts are in order to my satisfaction before I make a final decision." He smiled at Yanagi's nod. "Meanwhile, you and your son are welcome to make use of the amenities here. I have prepared a bungalow for your use while I review the case, and I will notify you of my decision when I am ready. If you'll step out onto the front porch, there will be a driver waiting to take you to your accommodations."

"Thank you, sir," said Yanagi, rising. He slipped a hand inside his suit jacket and withdrew some folded pages. "This is a list of websites and records archives I consulted in my search. I…" He hesitated, then cleared his throat. "If your perusal of these sources ends by proving me wrong, I would ask only that you inform me so. I don't wish to needlessly disrupt the Tokitas' lives if I am found to be wrong about my conclusions."

"I understand," said Roarke and smiled. "Thank you again, Mr. Yanagi. For now, why don't you and your son relax, rest if you like after your trip, and leave everything to me."

He watched the man and the boy leave the house and wondered what made Tetsuo Yanagi seem so desirous of not bothering the Tokita family. He knew the Japanese mind and culture well enough to suspect that it was most likely the inborn self-effacement he had seen in all the native Japanese he had ever met. He remembered Leslie talking about Katsumi Miyamoto having been the same way. But if there were more to the story, he would find it: he knew where to look and what signs to look for. He unfolded the pages Yanagi had given him, looked them over once, then paper-clipped them to the petition he had originally received several months before and arose to begin his review.


	3. Chapter 3

§ § § -- July 30, 2005

"Uh, excuse me," said a voice, and Christian and Leslie looked around to see a very uncertain Michiko standing beside their table in the café. "I hope you don't mind if I join you, but let me know if I'm intruding and I'll leave you two alone."

"Oh, no, not at all," said Leslie instantly. "Sit down already."

"Did we have a choice in the matter?" Christian asked humorously as Michiko slid in beside Leslie. "You do outrank us, after all."

Michiko rolled her eyes. "I just told you to say whether I was intruding. Since Leslie says I'm not, I'll take that as a no."

Christian chuckled and assured her, "It's all right, really. We weren't sharing any state secrets or intimate endearments. You look as if there's something on your mind."

"Myeko, of course," Michiko said. "I haven't heard from her."

"Well, she did take the kids to her parents' place," Leslie said. "She called me the other day and told me about it, and said she'd talked about it with Noelle and Alexander on the way there. But it's a big thing for her, you have to admit."

The queen sighed. "I know. I just thought maybe she'd…well…"

"I doubt she'd feel that she could confide in you, if you'll pardon my being so bold," Christian offered gently. "You were the one who asked her to bring them to the reunion in the first place, after all. And it sounds to me as if there's a good bit of bad blood between her and your brother—maybe more than she's willing to confront."

Michiko propped her chin in her hand and sighed without replying, and Leslie turned curiously to her. "Michiko, has To—I mean, Hachiro ever talked about Myeko, either to you or anyone in the family that you know about?"

Michiko blinked and sat there thinking about it, her eyes unfocused and a little frown of concentration on her pretty, delicate features. Finally she shook her head, looking a bit unsure. "No…not that I know of," she said slowly. "But that doesn't mean he didn't talk to anyone at all, only that I wasn't around if it happened."

Leslie nodded. "How much do you talk to him, or do you talk to him at all?"

"Hachiro's always had a way of holding himself distant from the rest of the family," Michiko said. "My apologies, Leslie, let me explain something quickly to Christian. You see, we were raised essentially Japanese, with a few Western touches thrown in—obviously our learning English alongside Japanese, but also our Western dress and some mannerisms. It affected each of us a little differently, I think. One of the Japanese aspects of our upbringing had to do with birth order. Much is expected of the firstborn son, and there are always expectations of any girls in the family. If our parents ever become incapacitated in any way, my oldest brother Saburo is expected to step in and take care of them. There's nothing optional about it; it's an obligation." Christian nodded, intense interest on his face. "We three girls were expected to be deferential to the males in the family, particularly our father, and to make good marriages when we were old enough. My parents liked my sister Kayoko's husband, Kiichiro, right away when they met him; his family has been in Hawaii for three or four generations, but they kept certain Japanese ways down through the years, and that really appealed to my parents. So they approved of Kayoko's marriage. They were a little taken aback when I told them I was marrying Errico, but royalty is always acceptable, even European royalty." She winked and Christian laughed.

"So I presume Reiko met with no opposition when she got engaged to Mattéano," he said, amused.

"Not a peep. No, we girls did well by our parents' expectations, I think. Saburo, as the firstborn and the older son, has always been aware of what's expected of him too, and he intends to move back here with his wife Kalani when the last of their kids gets out of college and moves out on her own. Mother and Father approved of his marriage to her because she's also a Fantasy Island native and would help him maintain ties to his home, and give him another good reason to come back when they're ready.

"But Hachiro…well, he's neither the firstborn child nor the oldest son, so there are a lot fewer burdens on him. I think he was spoiled by that, and as he grew up he became the family maverick, of sorts. He acted out a lot in school, and Leslie can tell you all about the way he liked to tease her as we were growing up. The fact of it was that Hachiro had a crush on her almost from the time she first came here, but we were at an awkward age—the early teen years, when _graceful_ is a foreign word and an impossible concept." She grinned, and Christian laughed again, as much at Leslie's ruefully amused look as at Michiko's remarks. "I'm not sure what he said to Leslie when he approached her once, but I do know he didn't handle it very well, and Leslie was very resentful of him after that."

Christian grinned at his wife, then laughed aloud when she rolled her eyes. "I've heard a little about Leslie's feelings toward Hachiro. So then, it sounds to me as if he felt…perhaps a little alien, if you will, in his own family."

"He might have," Michiko mused. "Whatever it was, he was always 'apart' from the rest of us in some way, and he tended to be sullen and uncommunicative, even before he hit his teen years. After he graduated from high school he went to a two-year college in Hawaii, but once he completed a course there he decided he'd had it with school and wanted to start earning some money. Somehow he fell in with Myeko—that was shortly after Leslie was married to Teppo and went with him to Finland—and she finally talked him into marrying her. I guess he figured it was his only choice since Leslie wasn't available." She smiled apologetically at a disgruntled-looking Leslie. "He always carried that torch for you, I hate to say it…but there it is."

Christian noted with amusement, "It clearly didn't make you feel obligated toward him, my Rose, now did it? Maybe you need to confront your feelings about him once and for all, so that you aren't carrying around this resentment all the time."

"I'd prefer to let it lie, thanks anyway," Leslie said a little primly, which only brought grins from Christian and Michiko, "and I don't need any pop psychology either." She poked Christian in the upper arm. "You in particular ought to be grateful I want nothing to do with Hachiro, seeing as you can be pretty jealous sometimes. Remember when you tried to break up with me and then changed your mind, and had a fit about my old friend Spencer Gray?"

"I'd rather not be reminded," Christian said, elevating his brow in that inevitable Enstad quirk. "But Spencer Gray lives in Connecticut, eleven thousand some-odd kilometers from here, whereas Hachiro is located within eight hundred kilometers and does return here occasionally, I believe."

"We're not going to be here when he is," Leslie said smugly, and Michiko burst out laughing when Christian rolled his eyes.

"You two are so cute," she said, giggling delightedly. "Don't worry, Leslie, you won't have to see Hachiro. On the other hand, I have a feeling Christian might have a point, but I guess that may depend on whether Hachiro still secretly carries that old torch."

"Fate help me, I sure hope not," grumbled Leslie. "Geez, how'd we get off on this tangent anyway? I thought we were discussing Hachiro in relation to Myeko."

"We were," Michiko agreed, sobering. "As I said, if Hachiro ever talks about her, it hasn't been to me. Not that we were ever that close, and not that I'm aware he's that close with anyone else in the family, not even Saburo. Both my brothers are in Hawaii, but I don't think they're in touch all that often."

"Well, Myeko told me she's leaving the decision up to Noelle and Alexander," Leslie said, "and if they decide to go, she'll be with them. And there won't be any way Hachiro can avoid the situation. Myeko might allow him to get out of having to see her, because she isn't too keen on seeing him either—but it'll be a different story with the kids."

Michiko nodded. "And it'll be the talk of the reunion for years, no matter what ends up happening. I almost envy you, not being here. When are you leaving for Lilla Jordsö?"

"August seventh," Leslie said. "When are you planning the reunion?"

"The weekend of the twentieth and twenty-first." Michiko dropped her chin in her hand again. "All I can do is hope it doesn't become a massive, unmitigated catastrophe."

Leslie thought about that for some time after Michiko left, and Christian studied her quietly for a bit, waiting for her to speak. When she didn't, he prompted, "Where's your mind now, my Rose? I hope you're not getting too emotionally involved in Michiko's and Myeko's mess."

"Well, they're my friends," Leslie said. "I've known them ever since my first day of school here all those years back. I can't help being emotionally involved."

"Don't let it get out of your control, that's all," Christian said. "I know you wish you could help them somehow, but if you let your emotions get the better of you, you won't be able to think very clearly. And besides, you may not be able to help at all, you know."

"At least I can be a neutral sounding board," Leslie said weakly.

He smiled. "You're not as neutral as you think you are, considering your own feelings about Hachiro. A sounding board you may be, but neutral is another thing entirely."

She made a disgruntled noise that brought her another smile, then returned his look and asked, "What about you? Have you heard anything from Nick?"

Christian laughed softly and settled back, laying his knife across his plate. "Men don't turn to each other in confidence, not in the way women do. Whatever may be on our minds, we usually stew over it in private. If we talk about it, it tends to be over beer and sports, in detail generally only with someone we've known like a brother since the beginning of time, and usually takes the form of a complaint."

She eyed him strangely. "Huh? Want to give me an example?"

"Oh, you _would_ ask," he grumbled good-naturedly. "Well, let me use Nick's example. If he ever did come to me to talk—which I seriously doubt he would—he'd probably start with something like, 'Myeko's driving me crazy, she ran off to her mother with the children, and she wants to drag me into her problem.' And he would never conclude with something like, 'Now what do I do?' He'd merely leave it where it lay. I might ask, 'What problem does she have?' and he'd tell me about the reunion and Michiko's invitation for Alexander and Noelle. Now, mind you, he probably wouldn't volunteer all this just out of a desperate need to share. It would most likely be in response to a casual question like 'How's the family?' "

"Okay," said Leslie slowly, watching him. "And then what?"

"Then I'd commiserate," Christian said, looking amused. "Perhaps on the order of, 'I know what you mean, sometimes Leslie makes me crazy as well.' " He caught her outraged look and put a hand over hers. "This is purely theoretical, remember! And you can't deny that we've had our fights from time to time." She deflated and nodded in concession, and he squeezed her hand and went on, "I might go on by asking if they've spoken since she went to her parents' house, and he'd say no, perhaps complain that she took Dawn as well as the older children, grumble that he at least wanted Dawn back but would prefer that they all came home, that sort of thing. Then I might offer a few suggestions, and perhaps Nick would agree that one of them sounded like a good idea." He paused, and Leslie nodded again, absorbing it. Then he added with a shrug, "Or he might merely mutter, 'That would never work', or some such thing, and then proceed to get drunk."

Leslie shot him a mock glare and muttered, "Men," and he started to laugh. "I honestly don't get why it seems un-masculine for guys to talk the way women do. Seriously, Christian, if Nick were really looking for advice or help—"

"Leslie, listen—I truly don't know. I consider Nick a friend, but to be perfectly frank here, I know Grady far better than I do Nick. If Nick did in fact go to anyone for help, it wouldn't be me. I just don't know him as well as that. Grady, sure. Brian, perhaps, and certainly Errico, if only by virtue of our shared status as royalty. But I'm not as well acquainted with Nick, or Jimmy, or even Kazuo. My guess here is that Nick is most likely to keep the whole dilemma to himself. On the off chance that he does seek someone out, I expect it would be someone who seems older and wiser, such as Mr. Roarke. Does that answer the question you tried to ask a moment ago?"

"I guess," Leslie murmured, not quite satisfied but knowing it was the best Christian could offer her. "But I have to agree with Myeko where his attitude is concerned. I can't believe he'd just withdraw and leave the whole thing entirely up to her."

"Please, don't ask me to enumerate his possible reasons for doing that. But I can tell you one thing. When I took him home the other night, he was livid that Myeko would go so far as to pack up the children and take refuge with her parents. He wanted to know what she thought that was going to accomplish. I didn't bother commenting; he was letting off steam, not really looking for answers. But I must admit, I agree with him. I'd have the same reaction if we had a spat and you fled to Mr. Roarke's house with the triplets."

"You mean you don't sympathize with Myeko at all? Come on, Christian, that sounds like the guys against the girls, if you know what I mean. The men sticking together no matter what's right or wrong. The brotherhood, excluding their 'little women'."

"_Herregud,"_ said Christian, frustrated. "I do see her side of it, and I don't know what would prompt him to do that. You know me well enough to know that would never be my reaction. But for fate's sake, slow down before this threatens to create a rift between us as well as Nick and Myeko. Didn't I tell you you're not neutral? And you're letting your emotions have their way again. Step back a few seconds and think about it."

She snapped her mouth shut and sat in silence for some twenty seconds, going over the discussion, and then wilted. "You're right, my love. I'm sorry."

He softened and smiled at her once more. "I know you feel for them, my darling, but in the end, it's not your problem to solve. You've been doing for Michiko what any good friend would do—be there for her to unload on. And I know you'll do the same for Myeko should she decide to confide in you. But that's the extent of your right to get involved. It's not for you to analyze Nick's motives or push Myeko into taking the children to the reunion. Just between you and me, I think she should, but it's not our decision."

"No, that's true," Leslie murmured through a soft sigh. "But I don't like what it's doing to Nick and Myeko's relationship right now, and I have to wonder if Myeko's friendship with Michiko will be threatened too." She looked up. "For the record, I agree with you, I think Alexander and Noelle should be at the reunion too. But what a hopeless mess this is."

Christian grinned. "Hopeless is one thing I don't think it is. There's plenty at stake, and emotions are running very high, but I wouldn't call it hopeless. Have some faith and some optimism, my Rose. I think they'll work it out; they just need a chance to think about it and to face facts. Come on, now, I'd better get back to work, and I'm sure Mr. Roarke will be looking for you pretty soon."

She reluctantly left him behind at his office and took a trail back to the main house, going in by the French shutters in the back of the study. There she found Roarke talking with Tetsuo Yanagi, and paused a few steps inside, waiting for them to find a break in the conversation. Roarke saw her first and smiled. "Hello, Leslie, you're officially back from lunch, then?"

She nodded and smiled at their guest. "Hello, Mr. Yanagi."

"Hello again, Mrs. Enstad," he replied with a polite return smile.

"As I was just explaining to Mr. Yanagi," Roarke said, gesturing for her to sit down, "I have checked the facts he provided for me and done a little additional research; and I find that in fact you are correct about your family ties. You are indeed second cousin to Masato Tokita." He smiled, seeing the quiet joy and relief in Yanagi's eyes. "As to when and whether you would like to contact Mr. Tokita…"

Yanagi's smile faded and he settled back a little in his chair. "I am not certain," he confessed after a moment. "I don't like to place a burden on you, Mr. Roarke, but perhaps if you are willing to act as a go-between…"

Roarke considered it for a moment, and Leslie said, "Actually, Father, Michiko's in the process of organizing a reunion of her entire family. It would be the perfect way for Mr. Yanagi and his son to get to know their relatives."

"You are acquainted with Queen Michiko of Arcolos?" Yanagi asked, astonished.

"We've been close friends since our early teens," Leslie explained with a smile. "We knew each other long before either of us married into royalty. She's back on the island for her annual summer return home, and she wants to bring her parents, all her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews together. Now that we know you're a member of the family, it seems like a wonderful opportunity for you to meet them all."

Roarke nodded. "I believe Leslie is right—the reunion would be ideal. Do you know when she intends to hold it?"

"She told me the weekend of the twentieth and twenty-first," Leslie said. "That's a good month away, but it gives everybody a chance to arrange for whatever time off they need and make their plans to be here."

Roarke said, "I see. Very well, then, Mr. Yanagi, I will contact the family and notify you as to their response. In the meantime, I once again extend you a welcome to my island; what with your relation to one of our resident families, as well as your in-depth knowledge of an ancient language, you meet the criteria to remain. I hope you and your son will be able to settle in comfortably with us and that you'll find you like it here."

"That, I have no doubt of," Tetsuo Yanagi said with a heartfelt smile. "I am extremely grateful to you, Mr. Roarke, you have no idea how much. And I also thank you many times over for your intervention with my relatives." He arose and bowed. "I have applied for an open position at the town library, and I have an interview this afternoon. If you will most kindly excuse me, I must be there for that."

"By all means, Mr. Yanagi." Roarke smiled.

"Good luck," added Leslie, and Yanagi nodded at her and departed. She turned to her father as soon as the door closed behind him. "So he's related to the Tokitas! I think if we're going to contact anyone in the family about it, it should be Michiko. She'll be thrilled." She paused a moment, then sighed gently. "Actually, she could use the cheering up."

"Indeed," said Roarke curiously. "Why?"

Leslie explained about Michiko's appearance at her lunch with Christian. "She hasn't heard from Myeko, nobody's heard from Nick, and there's no word yet on whether the kids are planning to go."

"Is there that little love lost between Myeko and Hachiro?" Roarke asked.

"I guess so," Leslie said. "She knows that if Noelle and Alexander decide to be there, she'll have to take them, and naturally she'll have to see Hachiro and his wife and all their kids. The thing is, I don't think she realizes that Michiko isn't doing this for Hachiro's sake. It's for her parents. After all, her mother and father are still Alexander and Noelle's grandparents, and scuttlebutt has it that they'd be overjoyed to have them there."

"One wonders how much love stands to be lost between Nicholas and Myeko," said Roarke slowly. "His reaction is curious, to say the least, but I think Myeko's response to it was decidedly extreme."

"But typical for her," Leslie said. "She's easily excitable and quick to act on impulse before she thinks things over. But Nick's reaction was fairly extreme too. I can't understand why he set himself apart from the whole problem. He removed himself from it even though Myeko really needed his moral support to help her make up her mind. I asked Christian if Nick had contacted him, and he gave me a big spiel about how men don't talk things out with each other like women do."

Roarke laughed. "In all my observations of people down through the years, my dear Leslie, that has been one unshakable constant. Before you ask if I have heard from him, I can assure you the answer is no. I strongly suspect Nicholas prefers to work this out on his own, and I also suspect he would not in the slightest appreciate anyone's interference."

"Well, there goes my half-baked idea about asking you to get in touch with him," said Leslie half jokingly. "I suppose if we can't get through to Nick, then maybe I should start working on Myeko."

Roarke eyed her a little dubiously. " 'Working on' her? May I ask whether your plan is to advance on her, in the manner of a cavalry, and interrogate her? Or have you thought that perhaps it might be wiser to let her come to you first?"

She stared at him and finally said, "Between you and Christian, I must be displaying some strange traits lately, or you two wouldn't be warning me off interfering—which I never planned to do, by the way. Just because I don't like seeing two friends of mine on the outs with each other, doesn't mean I'm going to volunteer to mediate. As I told Christian, I'll just be a neutral sounding board."

Roarke started to chuckle. "Neutral, indeed."

"Okay, okay, strike the neutral part, then. There you go again. You and Christian must be reading each other's minds or something. He said there was no way I could be neutral because of how I feel about Hachiro."

"Christian has a gift for insight," Roarke remarked humorously. "Leslie, my child, you have enough to worry about, between your duties in my employ and your responsibilities to your children. No matter how uncomfortable the problem may be for you, the bottom line is that it isn't your problem. I've warned you on various occasions through the years that you empathize too much. You simply must learn to maintain your emotional distance, whether it be with a guest or your friends." He caught her thwarted look. "Leslie, think of it this way. Suppose Myeko and Michiko did both get you involved. Perhaps your advice would be acceptable to only one of them—or worse, to neither. In the attempt to close a rift between two friends, you could easily destroy your own friendships with them. Surely that isn't the outcome you would wish for."

Leslie looked up at him with chastened surprise in her eyes. "I never thought of it that way," she admitted reluctantly. "Boy, I sure still have a lot to learn, don't I."

Roarke grinned reassuringly at her. "Part of that learning process is realizing that you do in fact have much to learn. There's hope for you yet, young lady." She made a face and he laughed. "Why don't you make a check of the empty bungalows and then get tonight's menu from Kazuo at the hotel. That should keep you busy for a time."


	4. Chapter 4

§ § § -- July 30, 2005

Shortly after Christian had left for home, Leslie retreated into the study, which was quiet what with Roarke making a check on one of the weekend's fantasies, and decided this was a good time to call Michiko with news of her newfound distant cousin. She dialed the Tokita house and smiled a little when Masato Tokita answered.

"Hello, Mr. Tokita, it's Leslie. May I speak with Michiko?" she inquired. She wasn't quite intimidated by Michiko's parents, as Myeko was, but she had always felt it proper to show extra politeness, a little more formality, with them.

But the Tokitas were not cold people at all, which came through in the smile she heard in Michiko's father's voice. "Yes, Leslie, of course, I'll call her for you. Are you and your family well? How is Mr. Roarke?"

"Everyone's fine, sir," Leslie replied. "The triplets are thriving, Christian's well, and Father's busy, just like always."

Mr. Tokita chuckled. "I cannot remember a time when Mr. Roarke was not busy, I think. It's good to speak with you, Leslie. Just one moment."

After a bit Michiko came on the line. "Hi, Leslie, what's going on?"

"I have some news that might interest you and your family," Leslie said, clearing her throat. "Father's just welcomed a new immigrant onto the island, and it turns out that he's related to your family."

"Is he? How?" Michiko exclaimed.

"He's your father's second cousin, according to research he did before coming here, and his name is Tetsuo Yanagi. He has a thirteen-year-old son named Hiroshi, and he's a widower; they just got here last Wednesday."

"Oh my goodness," Michiko murmured. "Well, that's certainly unexpected. Do you suppose I could meet him? What's he going to do for work, now that he's come here? I'm a little surprised Mr. Roarke agreed to let him take immigrant status."

"Well, his relationship to your father was one factor in his favor, but he's also fluent in Ainu. Evidently he grew up speaking it, and his son knows it too. He was interviewing for a position at the island library, and I hope he gets it. He could be an asset to them."

"It sounds more as if he should be a professional linguist, but I guess there's not a lot of demand for that on Fantasy Island. I went there with Mother a few days ago and she said they're planning to expand, especially the language section."

"That's right. The number of guests from countries other than the states has been really skyrocketing in the last decade or so, and you know how guests and vacationers get library cards that are good throughout their stay. There are supposed to be two positions available—one for Asian-language books and one for European-language books. It might be a bit of a stretch for Mr. Yanagi to take that job, with his particular skills, but I have a funny feeling there's much more to him than he revealed to Father. In any case, he's hoping to meet you and your family too, but he was afraid of disturbing you, so he asked if we could pave the way a little bit and make all of you aware of his existence."

"Aha, I see. Well, I'll tell you what—I'll tell my parents about this, and I'll get in touch with you later on and let you know what they say. If we can't get Myeko and her kids at the reunion, then we can certainly have the Yanagis here. Thanks for telling me, Leslie, this is wonderful news." Michiko suddenly giggled. "This could be a very good excuse for making my parents explain to us how they happened to come to Fantasy Island in the first place. I've wondered for years, but they've never deigned to tell us."

"In the face of a reunion the size of yours, it seems like they ought to tell," Leslie agreed humorously. "Good luck, and keep me posted."

When they'd hung up, she sat back in Roarke's chair and thought for a minute or two about Myeko. It had been several days now since they'd spoken, and she was beginning to have a nagging worry. She wondered whether she should try calling, then remembered her father's words from earlier that day and decided she'd better not. But it didn't keep her from wishing she knew what was going on in her friend's head.

At that point the phone rang and she picked it up. "Main house."

"Oh…Leslie, hi—it's Nick." Leslie's mouth drifted open and she blinked idiotically at the opposite wall, stunned. "I thought if Mr. Roarke wasn't busy…well, I'd kinda like to talk to him a little, if that's all right."

Leslie snapped herself back to attention. "Oh, Nick, I'm sorry…he's out at the moment, but he should be back before too long. Should I have him call you back?"

She heard Nick whisper a resigned-sounding curse. "Naw, I just…oh, never mind. Don't worry about it, okay? Thanks."

"Nick—" Leslie blurted, but he'd already hung up. "Oh, damn." She sagged back in the chair, but now she felt strangely energized, tense with the need to do something now while Nick seemed to be in a receptive mood. She reached for the phone and began to dial the number for her own house, but stopped after punching the first digit. There was little point in asking Christian to get in touch with Nick. For one thing, Christian had made very plain his opinion about her wish to solve a problem that wasn't hers; and for another, Nick had asked for Roarke, not Christian. Neither Nick nor Christian would appreciate her attempt to meddle. Slowly she hung up the phone, wishing Roarke would get back and again wondering what Myeko was thinking right now.

§ § § -- July 31, 2005

Myeko's eyes popped open and she lay staring into the darkness, a little startled. She had just awakened from a dream in which she and Nick were having a picnic, but unable to touch each other because there was an endless glass wall separating them. When she called out Nick's name, he'd suddenly morphed into Hachiro, which had shocked her right out of the dream.

She made a face and looked at the clock; it was about a quarter past one. Unwilling to keep herself awake trying to make sense out of the dream, she rolled over in the hope of getting back to sleep, but then heard something elsewhere in the house. She lifted her head and listened; it sounded like glasses clinking in the kitchen. With a sigh she crawled out of bed and padded out of the room.

She found Noelle belting back a glass of orange juice, while Alexander poured another glass for himself. "Want to make it three?" Myeko suggested.

Alexander jumped, spilling juice on the counter; Noelle started coughing violently, and Myeko rolled her eyes at herself for scaring them and took her daughter's glass away to set it on the table. "Geez, Mom," Alexander muttered.

"Sorry," she said lightly, patting Noelle's back, "but I figure the two of you are in here for a reason—not thirst, but something else. So what's up?"

"Why should anything be up? Can't we both be thirsty at the same time?" Alexander grumbled, mopping up a puddle of juice with a paper towel.

"Not in the middle of the night," Myeko said, grinning. "Come on, you two, sit down and let's talk about it. Alexander, since you're up, I'd appreciate a glass myself."

Alexander snorted, but complied. Noelle sat down, having finally stopped coughing, and gave Myeko a baleful look. "I must've swallowed half my juice down the wrong pipe, thanks to you."

"I doubt it was half, or you'd be drowning," Myeko retorted, still grinning. "I said I was sorry, you know."

Noelle smiled. "Yeah, I know. Boy, I sure hope Grandma doesn't jump on our cases in the morning when she sees how much juice we drank."

"Oh, well, it seems to me this might be a special occasion…something important," said Myeko. "I suppose you two are thinking about this whole crazy mess too."

"We can't help it," Noelle said, taking a sip of her juice. "I mean…well…"

"I know what you mean," Myeko assured her.

Alexander took a chair and pushed a glass across the table at his mother. "Mom, I've been wondering. Did you say our dad and stepmom have five boys now?"

"Of their own, plus two of hers from some previous relationship. I know it's been years since you two went to visit them, but do you remember much about them?"

"Mostly their names," Alexander said, "and only some of them. Her boys were Aaron and Ephraim, and then she and Dad had Liam, Cody…" He stopped. "That's all I remember now. Ephraim's the one who stole my Matchbox cars."

Myeko giggled at his disgruntled look. "That still bugging you?"

"Well, yeah," said Alexander, as if incredulous that she even had to ask. "That's another reason I stopped going to their place. I was tired of having Ephraim steal my cars and then his mom always taking his side. I might be thirteen now, but I sure wouldn't say no if I had a chance to get 'em back."

"How old are they, anyway?" Myeko asked idly. "I never knew."

Alexander had to think a moment. "Aaron's the same age as me, and Ephraim's a year younger. I can't remember how old the others are now, just that they were too little for us to play with whenever we went over."

Myeko nodded and looked at Noelle. "What about you?"

"Well, I never had anything stolen, but I guess if they'd had a girl she'd have taken my stuff too," Noelle said, and Myeko chuckled. Alexander grinned.

"So what really brought you two out here?" Myeko prodded gently.

"We've been thinking a lot about going to the reunion," Alexander said. "Even if it means we have to face all those brats we have for half-brothers."

"Why'd they have so many kids?" Noelle wondered, making a face.

"Well, your dad always wanted a big family," Myeko said, shrugging. "That was one of the things we had a big disagreement about. You two were plenty for me, all I needed. But your dad wanted lots of kids, for some reason. I guess with Lani, he got 'em."

"But if we were enough, how come you had Dawn?" Noelle asked.

Myeko peered oddly at her. "Aren't you the one who was thrilled about having a little sister when Dawn was born?"

Noelle hunched her shoulders and eyed her with a sheepish look from the corners of her eyes. "Well, yeah. But I just wondered, 'cause you said we were enough."

"Well, Nick kind of wanted to experience fatherhood from the beginning. After all, you two were already in school when we got married. I figured one more couldn't hurt, but I warned him if we got a girl, we were stopping no matter what and I wasn't going to try again just so he could pass on his family name to a boy. It's more expensive to raise a big family, and the parents can't always give their kids the kind of attention they should. That might be one big reason Lani's kid stole from you, Alexander. They were so busy with their babies, they didn't pay enough attention to the older boys."

"Yeah," Alexander mumbled. "Maybe." He paused, then brightened. "Maybe I could e-mail Dad and have him make Ephraim bring back all my cars."

Myeko laughed and Noelle pointed out, "It's been years, Alexander. I bet by now he's forgotten which ones are yours, and he'd probably say he never took any of your stuff anyway, if he's still the creep I remember."

Myeko tried to tamp down her amusement, hoping she was speaking with a reasonably straight face. "Hey, is that the only reason you'd go, so you can get your cars back?"

Alexander sat up, then grinned a little and fell back in his chair. "Well, no, I guess not. Actually…um, Mom, can you tell us about our cousins? On the Tokita side, I mean?"

Myeko tried to think about it and frowned; she was startled to realize she didn't know the names of many of her children's cousins. "I don't know all of them," she admitted reluctantly. "I can remember only two—your cousin Princess Catalina, Aunt Michiko's daughter, and your cousin Prince Androno. Your Aunt Reiko's pregnant again, too—saw it in some online news service. Your Uncle Saburo and Aunt Kayoko have grown kids, but I don't know how many, or whether they're boys or girls, or their names."

"Well, then it'd be boring," Noelle said with a sigh, thumping her chin into one hand. "I know Androno and Catalina are little, too little for us anyway, and I guess the others are way too old. So all that leaves is all those rotten boys."

Myeko took in her children's faces, one grumpy, one uncertain, and finally offered, "What if I get ahold of your Aunt Michiko and have her let you know who's got what kids? She could tell you everybody's names and ages. Maybe that could help you decide if you want to go, but there _is_ one thing I ought to mention." She waited till she had their full attention, then went on, "All you can think about is whether you'll have cousins near your own ages, and you seem to be deciding whether the reunion would be worth going to based on that. You have grandparents too, you know. And they haven't seen you at least since I got married to Nick, if not before."

Her children were silent for a minute; then Alexander sighed and grumbled, "Oh man, Mom, just lay a guilt trip all over us, why don'tcha?"

"Thanks, I think I will," Myeko replied whimsically, and Noelle snickered while Alexander rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm in this too, you know. If you guys go, then I have to take you there, and I'm really not looking forward to facing your father and his ever-expanding tribe of wild savages. But there could be a silver lining to all this. It's been long enough since you visited them, maybe at least some of the boys are halfway civilized. And you'd have a set of grandparents who I know love you very much, no less than they love all their other grandchildren. There's still time before you decide—I don't know exactly when the reunion's gonna be, but I can ask Michiko anyway, and if you want, you can talk to her and get the info on the rest of your cousins."

"Well, we could do that at least," Noelle agreed tentatively.

Alexander nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good," said Myeko. "I'll call her in the morning. Now let's finish our juice and go get some sleep, and we'll deal with it tomorrow."

‡ ‡ ‡

Myeko drew in a deep breath before punching out the Tokitas' number, annoyed to realize that Michiko's parents still intimidated her to the point that she was afraid one of them would pick up, rather than Michiko herself. She'd always been leery of the Tokitas and supposed she always would be, thanks to their old-world Japanese formality. But it was a part of them, made them—and Michiko—who they were, and she told herself that at the very least she could be grown-up enough to face them without cringing.

"Hello," she heard a deeply accented female voice.

Not for the first time, Myeko wished she knew even a scant few Japanese words of greeting. "Good morning, Mrs. Tokita," she said politely. "This is Myeko Okada—may I speak with Michiko if she's up, please?"

"Ah, Myeko, so nice you call. Yes, one moment." Myeko immediately felt guilty, out of the blue. She'd been depriving this lady access to two of her grandchildren, yet there was never an iota of negative emotion—not sadness, anger, bitterness, self-pity or anything else, only warmth and friendliness_. If she thinks I'm an ogress, at least she's polite enough not to let it show,_ Myeko thought wryly.

Then Michiko picked up. "Hi, Myeko, how are you?" she asked.

Myeko was slightly taken aback by the uncertainty she heard in her friend's voice. "I'm okay," she said cautiously. "I hope you are too."

"Doing well, I suppose," Michiko allowed. "Are you?…"

Myeko made a face, impatient with the bush-beating. "Yeah, yeah…look, I don't want you thinking I'm mad at you or anything. It really wasn't you at all. It's me, y'know? I guess if it wasn't for Toki—uh, Hachiro, I'd bring the kids in a heartbeat. I just wish I knew more about that inflatable family of his."

Michiko burst out laughing on the other end. "Inflatable? That's a good word for it, they do seem to grow exponentially." Myeko giggled with relief. "I'm just glad you called, no matter what the reason is. What's up?"

"I caught Alexander and Noelle talking in the kitchen here last night," said Myeko and went on to tell her about their chat. "They're curious about their Tokita cousins, and I couldn't tell them everything. I mean, I knew about your daughter and Reiko's kids, but I have no clue about Saburo's and Kayoko's kids. Noelle in particular seems to have the feeling she's going to be very much alone, but Alexander isn't too much happier, because they remember To—Hachiro's kids from six or seven years ago."

"Aha, I understand," Michiko said. "Well, Saburo and Kalani have four kids—two of each. The oldest just graduated from college and the youngest is going into eleventh grade this fall. Then Kiichiro and Kayoko have three daughters, ages 24, 21 and 19, and their oldest is married and has an eight-month-old boy. Does that help any?"

"Yeah, a lot," said Myeko. "I guess if they decide to go, they'll meet everybody formally at your parents' place. Um…" She hesitated, then muttered, "I'm probably gonna regret asking you this, but do you have a full list of—of Hachiro's kids now? And how old they are?"

Michiko giggled. "Honestly, I think they're providing half the grandchildren all by themselves. His stepsons are Aaron, who's 13, and Ephraim, who's 12. Then they have five kids together so far. Liam's seven, Cody'll be five in September, Zachary's three, Griffen just turned two, and Tyler's seven months old, not quite eight. Plus, number six is due roughly around New Year's, and since they know it's a girl, they plan to name her Olivia."

"Holy flying hogs…eight kids," Myeko marveled, shaking her head. "Geez, I knew he wanted a big family, but I had no idea he wanted the industrial-strength size."

"Listen, I'm no less amazed than you are. It took all I had in me to give birth to Catalina, and I made Errico promise we wouldn't have any more children. I don't know how women with so many kids do it all. And you know the most idiotic thing in the world? I've met Lani exactly twice since she and Hachiro got married. First at their wedding, and then at Errico's coronation. I don't know the woman at all, and from what Mother and Father say, they barely know her either. Hachiro almost never brings his family back to Fantasy Island, even though for years none of us have lived here. Mother and Father were overjoyed when Kiichiro and Kayoko moved back this year, and they can't wait for the reunion."

Myeko was stuck on the end of Michiko's next-to-last sentence. "What do you mean, 'even though for years none of us have lived here'? I don't get that."

"He's never been one to keep in frequent touch with the family, and someone always has to call him. He never puts forth the effort. Saburo and Kayoko both moved off-island when they got married, then Hachiro left after you two were divorced. And of course, both Reiko and I live in Arcolos after our marriages. But Hachiro wouldn't come back anyway, even though none of the rest of us was around to ask him questions and so on. You know how he is—he doesn't like to contact us, and I can only speculate on why, but I think it has a lot to do with his position in the family. I have no idea why he won't keep in touch with us and has to be practically extradited to come back here, but that's how it is."

"Well, is he coming to the reunion?" Myeko asked.

She heard Michiko snicker. "I decided to bypass Hachiro and talk to Lani instead, and wouldn't you know it, but over the phone at least, she has the nicest personality. She said it was high time their boys met all their cousins, and she intended to put Hachiro through the wringer to make sure he comes with them, because she means to bring all seven of the boys. I told my parents and they were ecstatic."

"You're kidding. I'm not sure I'd be ecstatic at the idea of seven screeching heathens tearing up my house and my yard, grandsons or not. And hold it, what's this about his position in the family? Listen, friend, I think you and I need to hash all this mess out, and not over the phone either. Could you come over for a while?"

"I certainly can. I'll even be glad to tell Alexander and Noelle about their cousins. I'll see you in about half an hour."

Well over twice that time later, after Alexander and Noelle had gotten the rundown on their Tokita relations and had gone to see friends, Junko Sensei joined the two friends at her kitchen table, greeting Michiko with a warm smile and a mug of coffee. "I hope you girls don't mind if I sit in," she said. "I have to admit, I've wondered for years precisely what went wrong between my daughter and your brother, Michiko, because Myeko spent so many years extolling his apparent virtues. I've spoken with Miyoshi any number of times, and even she isn't sure why Myeko was so attracted to him."

"Good grief, Mom," Myeko moaned, hiding her face in her hands, with her elbows flanking her coffee mug. "I thought you were done embarrassing me."

"Mothers are never done embarrassing their daughters," Junko informed her merrily, and Michiko laughed. "Keep that in mind when Noelle hits her teens in a couple more years and you're trying to deal with her. Now, I understand there's going to be a massive family reunion at your parents' house, Michiko, and that my grandchildren are invited."

"That's the idea, Mrs. Sensei," Michiko said and explained the premise and the problems that had given Myeko such a headache. "To the best of my knowledge, Hachiro's going to be there, even if Lani has to tie him up and stuff him in a sack to get him here. I knew he wouldn't be enthusiastic, so I went around him altogether and set things up with Lani. But clearly, things aren't too cordial between Hachiro and Myeko."

"It's hard to blame me, isn't it?" Myeko demanded plaintively. "Mom, I know you remember all the trouble I had when the kids were little, trying to collect his child-support payments on time. He missed a few entirely, here and there. When I called him to ask him to send the money, he'd get huffy and offended, and we always ended up fighting. After Nick and I got married, the kids decided they didn't want to visit anymore. Noelle said she was surrounded by boys and completely lost in the testosterone ocean, and Alexander still maintains that one of Lani's boys was always stealing his toy cars."

Junko blinked, then laughed. "Oh, so that's what it was all about. Well, surely by now at least Lani's kids are old enough to have learned some manners."

"I'd assume so, for Aaron and Ephraim at least," Michiko said. "Her sons by Hachiro might be another matter. Liam's the only one in school, and Cody starts this year, but Zachary and Griffen are just toddlers and Tyler's still a baby—and she's well along with still another pregnancy."

"My word," Junko said, aghast. "So that means they'll have…what, eight of them?"

"Seven boys and, finally, a girl on the way," Michiko confirmed. "But the rest of us hardly know them. Hachiro's almost never brought them back to see my parents, and I don't know any of the boys at all. We all try to get back whenever we can, no matter how hard it is for me and Reiko. Saburo and Kalani come back twice a year, at Easter and Christmas, and Kayoko and Kiichiro recently moved back, with their youngest in college now. Reiko can usually come back at Christmas, but being the queen, I have to be there with Errico when he makes his annual holiday speech to his people, so I always come back during the summer. But I think Hachiro's been back three times since he moved to Hawaii, and only once with the kids."

Junko shook her head in wonder, and Myeko frowned. "Why in heck is he punishing your mom and dad that way? Does he have some problem with them?"

"It seems that way," Michiko said, and for the next several minutes Junko and Myeko sat listening wide-eyed to the same explanation of their family's customs and positions that Michiko had given Christian several days before.

"Well…" Myeko mumbled. "So it was a lifelong thing, practically."

"Did you think you could change him, honey?" Junko asked gently.

Myeko looked up. "I guess so. Another classic cliché about how the woman thinks if she loves the guy enough, he'll change for her. Now that I think back on it, I guess I figured he was the strong, silent type, and something about that just…I don't know, dragged me in, you could say."

"But you knew he had a crush on Leslie," Michiko said.

"Yeah, well, not before she came here," Myeko retorted, and Michiko laughed at the inescapable logic of that. "I kinda got to liking him when I was around eleven or twelve, and then Leslie came to the island. Good thing I made friends with her before Hachiro decided he had a thing for her, or I'd've hated her. And it helped that he botched it up so badly with her that she couldn't stand him from that point on."

This time both Junko and Michiko laughed. "Did he?" Junko asked.

Michiko nodded. "I told Christian about that too. Only Hachiro and Leslie know what he said to her when he tried to ask her out that one time. But Hachiro obviously isn't going to relive that for anybody, and Leslie still has bad memories, because of all the years he spent picking on her. I remember telling her several times that he really did have a crush on her, and one day she finally shot back at me that if it was true, he should know better than to treat her the way he did, because it certainly wasn't sweetening her feelings for him. I had to agree with that. I thought about telling Hachiro, but sibling rivalry won out over altruism, and I never passed on her message."

"I didn't know he tried to ask her out," Myeko said, staring at her.

"It wasn't too long after she first got here," Michiko said. "I found out about it only because Hachiro came home in a really foul mood, and every time someone asked him what was wrong, he just growled at them. Then I took my turn asking, and he said something about my stuck-up new friend who'd rather spend her weekend working for her guardian than hanging out at the beach with him."

"Oh, wow," Myeko said, amazed.

"I remember that huge birthday bash Mr. Roarke and Tattoo threw for Leslie when she turned fifteen," Junko said, resting her chin in her hand. "We adults were talking while you girls were skating. He mentioned that Leslie was quite a helper, very enthusiastic about his business, but he also said that he sensed she felt obligated in some way—to earn her keep, maybe, or to pay him back for taking her in till she came of age. More than likely that was the main reason she turned Hachiro down."

"Knowing my brother, I'm sure he didn't handle the asking very well, and most likely took her rejection even worse. He must have felt slighted, and after that he took every chance he got to make her regret it. I know he carried that torch even after he was divorced from you, Myeko…"

"Me too, but she finally set him straight. That was before she met Christian, I forget how long. He had the harebrained idea that now he'd ditched me and the kids, and she was a widow, they ought to get together. She told me all about it."

"Maybe," Junko mused, "for him, that was just the ultimate rejection. It's possible, Michiko, that the reason he's stayed away all these years isn't you or your siblings or your parents, but the fact that Leslie's here, and he didn't want to see her—especially after she met Christian and got married to him."

Michiko stilled, and she and Myeko looked at each other. "I never thought of that," Michiko finally confessed. "I don't know why, but it just never crossed my mind."

"Huh," Myeko muttered, then scowled and added, "Well, he's just gonna have to get over it. He's got a family who deserve to see him, and he might as well face it."

"I have to agree with you there," Michiko said, sighing. "Well, there's a new twist on things. Maybe he'll never tell us himself, but if that's the real reason, it explains an awful lot. I wonder if Lani knows about his history with Leslie. Maybe I'll talk to her."

"Don't ruin your friendship with her when it's just getting started," Myeko said.

Michiko smiled. "Oh, I'll do my best not to. Considering how Leslie feels about him, I don't think it's going to do much harm, if any. Look, I hate to cut out suddenly, but I really do need to run. Errico's planning to fly in later today, and I've got to make sure I can get us a room at Julie Callaghan's B&B before he gets here. Really, ever since Giohanno died, things just haven't been quite as efficient around the place. See you later, and thanks for the coffee, Mrs. Sensei."

Junko and Myeko waved her out, and then Junko peered thoughtfully at her daughter for a moment. "I think you've got something you need to 'get over' yourself, honey," she said. "Namely your little problem with Nick."

"Mom, we've been over this," Myeko said impatiently. "Nick just withdrew every bit of moral support and left me high and dry. What kind of husband does that?"

"A confused one, maybe," said Junko. "I can't read his mind, but he's not the only one at fault here. Instead of asking him why, and trying to draw him out, you just packed up the kids and ran to us. How long are you planning to camp out here?"

"Till he comes to his senses," said Myeko.

Junko shook her head. "I don't think you realize how ridiculous that sounds. First of all, what constitutes 'coming to his senses', under the circumstances? And second, has it occurred to you that you're needlessly punishing him? Seems to me that after he made his position clear that night at Christian and Leslie's, you took such offense, so fast, that you never gave him a chance to think things over and change his mind."

"He hasn't even tried to call me," Myeko said, hurt.

"Have you tried to call him?" her mother parried.

She stared into her mug. "No," she mumbled after a long pause. "I think all he'd do would be to demand that I bring Dawn back home."

"I think all four of you, including Dawn, need to go back home," Junko suggested in a quiet voice. "Not that we aren't glad to have you here, but you don't live here anymore. Your home's with Nick, Myeko, not us. Oh, sure, we can be a refuge when you really need it, but I don't think you really needed it this time, no matter how upset you are about Nick's actions. And even if what you did was justifiable at all, in the smallest way, I think you've gotten across whatever message you've been trying to send him here, and it's time for you two to patch things up."

"What if he won't talk to me?" Myeko finally cried. "Mom, he said he wasn't going to get himself involved. If I go back and try to talk to him, suppose he goes turtle again and just pulls back into his little shell? What'm I supposed to do then?"

"That's up to you," Junko told her. "But I have a feeling you've talked this to death with just about everybody who might have something to say—Michiko, me, Leslie, whoever. It's time you made your decision. Maybe Nick was scared that you'd want him to make up your mind for you, I don't know. Maybe it's something else entirely, but whatever it is, it might help if you decide, and then ask him to support that decision."

Myeko sighed. "Actually," she muttered, "it's not exactly my decision to make. It's really Alexander and Noelle's. I told them if they want to go, I'll take them, so I have to be there if they go."

Junko shook her head again, before she'd finished the sentence. "Oh no, Myeko, you're going about this the wrong way. You think you're doing the kids a favor, but you're really not. Don't leave it up to them. Just take them. They're not just our grandchildren, they're Masato and Miyoshi's grandchildren too—and it's only fair that Masato and Miyoshi get to see them during that reunion. You've kept the kids away from them for much too long, and they've been paying the price for your lingering resentment of Toki."

"Hachiro," Myeko corrected irritably, under her breath.

"Or whatever name he's going by these days," Junko said, unperturbed. "You can have all the issues you want with the man, but don't drag his parents into it."

Myeko let at least an entire minute elapse, then gave up and sighed long and deep. "Okay, Mom, you win," she grumbled resignedly. "I'll tell Alexander and Noelle that they're going to the reunion, and we're all going on home."

"Good girl." Junko smiled, patted her shoulder, and picked up both cups. "By the way, I'm not trying to 'win' anything. I just want you to patch things up with your husband and give your ex-husband's parents a fighting, fair chance to know their grandchildren. And hey, you never know." She winked. "You might even find that facing Hachiro isn't as horrifying as you've been telling yourself it is."

"Fat chance," Myeko scoffed, but she couldn't keep from smiling. "Mom, you're an awful Pollyanna sometimes, but I love you anyway. Thanks for putting up with us."

"Anytime," chuckled Junko. "Go get 'em, tigress."


	5. Chapter 5

§ § § -- August 1, 2005

Michiko arrived at the main house with Leslie; she glanced around the room as she came down the steps into the study, while Roarke arose. "So," said the queen, "I guess this is the big moment."

"Indeed it is," Roarke said. "Will you please have a seat? May I get you anything?"

"I drank more than enough coffee already," Michiko said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "I really don't need anything else, but thank you. Oh, look at me, can't you just tell I wasn't born royalty? I'm not the slightest bit at ease, I'm nervous and excited…"

"It's okay," Leslie said. "You're entitled to be nervous when you're meeting a relative you didn't even know existed before." She grinned. "Julie told me you just about drained her bottomless coffeepot. She said she'll have to take the word 'bottomless' off her menus now."

"Comforting," snorted Michiko, and they both laughed.

Roarke chuckled with them. "Let me make a telephone call, and then I will explain to you a little about him," he suggested. He rang up the number for one of the bungalows, and Leslie took Michiko over to the tea table and sat down beside her.

Roarke completed his call and was still filling Michiko in when Tetsuo and Hiroshi Yanagi arrived, the boy looking uncertain and his father carefully blank-faced. But surprise flickered to life in his eyes when Michiko instantly arose upon seeing them. Roarke introduced them and then excused himself to attend to some errands, while Michiko approached her newfound relatives and bowed simultaneously with them.

Finally Tetsuo spoke. "Your Most Gracious Majesty, I am very honored to make your acquaintance."

Michiko promptly turned brilliant crimson and tossed a glance over her shoulder at Leslie. "Please, Yanagi-san," she entreated, "we are related, and even though I'm a queen, I'm very uncomfortable with all the honorifics. I beg you, call me Michiko. And I'm very, very glad to meet you and your son."

Tetsuo smiled broadly and dipped his head once more in a respectful gesture. "Since it is your wish, Michiko, I shall be glad to honor it."

"Please, let's sit down and talk," she suggested, and they all took seats, helping themselves to the tea that waited on the table. Hiroshi was the first to take a sip, and his eyes grew wide with amazement.

For the first time he spoke. "I taste fruit in tea!" he exclaimed.

"It's Mariki's special mango tea," Leslie explained. "It's about the only tea I can stand, and even Christian likes it. There's always more waiting, so have as much as you like."

Hiroshi smiled widely, looking very happy about that, and his father chuckled, then turned to Michiko. "I found it difficult to believe that I could be related to a queen, but Mr. Roarke confirmed my findings…"

Michiko sighed softly. "It's true that I'm a queen, but that's only because I was very fortunate in my choice of a husband. I was born a commoner, and when I come home to this island, I prefer to be treated like a commoner. The trappings of royalty are very nice, and they can be a little addictive. But I so look forward to my break each August when I come back, and it feels good to be just plain Michiko again. Please, don't feel that you must act formally around me. We're cousins, even if somewhat removed, and I just want to be sure that you and Hiroshi feel at ease around me."

Tetsuo nodded comprehension. "It will be my pleasure, Michiko."

"Good," she said. "So please, tell me how you came to be here."

Tetsuo explained his origins and his reasons for coming to the island, and Michiko nodded frequently, clearly absorbed in the tale. When he finished, she shook her head in wonder. "That's amazing. I always thought Ainu was a dead language."

"Nearly so," Tetsuo said. "I am endeavoring to record as much as I can, with the help of my son, both written and spoken, so that there is material with which to work, and the knowledge will not pass away forever after we are gone. I understood that Mr. Roarke has excellent archives on this island, and it seemed the best place to store the information."

"A good choice," Michiko agreed. "I hope you don't think this is too personal a question, and if so, simply tell me and I won't ask further. But I do wonder how it is you came to be in the care of a family who spoke only the aboriginal tongue."

"I know only what my adoptive family could tell me. There was a small isolated village, in a remote corner of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, where the people continued to retain the language. The people who raised me were natives. It seems that some common ancestor of ours was as interested in preserving ancient languages as I am, and had come to study the tongue. He apparently remained permanently and married into the local people, and I am his grandson. They knew only that my ancestor came from the town of Tomioka, located on an island called Amakusa-Shimo, which lies just off the western coast of the southern island of Kyushu."

Michiko nodded slowly, and Leslie looked at her. "Do those locations sound familiar to you at all, Michiko?" she asked.

She blinked and admitted, "No, unfortunately, they don't. It astonishes me that you were able to discover your relationship to us, Mr. Yanagi."

"Tetsuo, please," he said. "In actual fact, the clue was a bit of paper found among my grandfather's effects when he died. My own parents perished in the same blizzard that killed him, and I was all that was left of our little family. I kept that paper throughout my life without much interest in it, until my wife died and left Hiroshi and me with no other family locally."

"What was on the paper?" Michiko asked.

"It was a small crude map of Amakusa-Shimo, with Tomioka marked on the northwestern shore. And beside it were written two names: Yanagi Fumiko and Tokita Jiro." He saw Michiko sit at attention and nodded. "It made me wonder precisely who these people were, and I decided it was time to make a search. I had to leave the village anyhow, so I began to travel with Hiroshi.

"We made our way to Tomioka and I began to make inquiries. It seemed that somehow, those two people were still well-remembered in the area, and I was told that the Yanagis and the Tokitas were longtime rival families who…didn't get along, to put it mildly. Neither family had current descendants in the area, but people remembered all too well the story of how the Yanagis' little Fumiko fell madly in love with the Tokita boy, Jiro, and he with her. One day they both simply vanished. Each family blamed the other for their child's disappearance, and mayhem ensued—old-fashioned, samurai-style honor killings and so forth. The two families came quite close to exterminating each other, until in the end the local authorities drove out the remaining members and told them to relocate far away. As far as was known, they did precisely that."

"Wow," said Leslie, amazed. "The Japanese version of the Hatfields and the McCoys!"

The others all smiled, and Tetsuo agreed, "Yes, it certainly sounds like that. They were able to tell me that shortly after Jiro Tokita and Fumiko Yanagi disappeared, another Yanagi son declared himself weary of the ceaseless fighting and left as well, also never to be heard from again. That was Haruki Yanagi, my grandfather."

"They must have been legendary in the area for their rivalry, to be remembered for so many years after their departure," Michiko observed. "I have to wonder if Jiro and Fumiko were my grandparents. They died when I was a little girl, so there's no asking them about their origins now, and I don't think they ever volunteered to tell anyone. For that matter, I never even knew their first names—they were just Oba-chan and Ojii-chan to me, and even more formal than my parents. I recall one of my brothers once asking about them, but my father sternly said this was not for young ears, and none of the rest of us ever had the courage to ask about it. Even my one brother never asked again." She cleared her throat. "I wish to invite you and Hiroshi to our family reunion—the weekend of August 20 and 21. You have knowledge we don't, and I especially would like those questions answered."

"It would fill in much of our family history," Tetsuo said. "Yes, Michiko, I would be honored and very happy to attend, and Hiroshi as well. I am glad to accept your kind invitation, and I thank you sincerely."

"It's going to be a very exciting reunion," Michiko said softly, as if to herself, her eyes glowing. "More than I ever dreamed."

Leslie only smiled. Michiko's hopes hadn't yet been completely fulfilled, and a little uneasily she wondered what was happening between Nick and Myeko. She cleared her throat, catching Michiko's attention thereby.

"Oh, Leslie…I should have thought of this before. Mr. Roarke must know whether Jiro and Fumiko Tokita are my grandparents. My father was born and raised on this island, after all, so if Fumiko and Jiro were his parents, they would have arrived here somehow from Japan—and since this is Mr. Roarke's island, he'd have to have known about it. Nobody gets onto Fantasy Island without Mr. Roarke's finding out about it, sooner or later, right? So he must have the ultimate answer, and since it's only two generations back, he must have a pretty clear memory of their arrival."

"I should think so," said Leslie. "Father'll probably be back within an hour or so—he wanted to give the two of you time to talk and learn whatever you could. Once he finds out what progress you've made, I'm sure he'll be happy to fill in the rest."

"Great," Michiko said. "Could we wait here for him?"

"Sure. I'm eager to find out the missing puzzle pieces myself," Leslie said.

Michiko paused and frowned a bit. "Speaking of missing pieces…I wish I knew what's going on with Myeko. She and I and her mother talked yesterday, but who knows what the outcome was after I left. She's so stubborn…"

"She gives me a real run for my money," Leslie agreed with a grin. "Well, there's still three weeks before the reunion. Don't get too worried too soon."

‡ ‡ ‡

Myeko had reluctantly returned home that morning with the kids, having chickened out the previous afternoon and talked her parents into letting her remain with them one more night. But they had practically thrown her out that morning after breakfast, and she had driven home by the longest, most time-wasting route she could think of, delaying the confrontation with Nick as long as she possibly could. When Alexander and Noelle complained and began calling her a scaredy-cat, she gave up and went on home.

Nick hadn't been in the house when they got there, and Myeko was in no real hurry to track him down. She imagined he was in the big barn, which he had converted for use as his veterinary office, tending to whatever local pets were under the weather at the moment. _No point in disturbing him at work,_ she told herself, knowing perfectly well it was a convenient excuse, but shamelessly taking advantage of it anyway. _I'll just wait till he calls it a day and then, well…we'll see after that. _ Her conscience nagged her, but she told it to shut up and set about straightening up her kitchen. It was a shambles after her days away, and she was amazed at the sheer number of dishes they owned.

Noelle appeared as she was loading the dishwasher. "Hey, Mom, can I go over to Brianna's house and sleep over? I just called her and told her we came back home, and she wants me to tell her everything." She shoved her hands into her pockets. "I mean, since you decided me and Alexander are going no matter what…"

" 'Alexander and I'," Myeko corrected automatically. She paused and took in her daughter's hopeful look. "Well, you both took it really well, considering it was an edict handed down from on high. But your grandmother was right, it's not really an option. Anyway, sure, go ahead. Are they picking you up?"

"Yeah," said Noelle. "Brianna's mom has to go grocery shopping, so they'll just stop by here and get me when they're done."

"Okay, let her know I said it's all right, and have Brianna tell her mom hi," Myeko said, and Noelle grinned and ran back out. Myeko watched her go and smiled a little thinly. If only Noelle knew the decision she'd come to on the way home. Shaking her head to herself, she resumed loading the dishwasher, then got it running and started wiping down countertops. Dawn came in and she gave the child a banana, peeling it for her first.

Alexander came in shortly before lunch, by which time Myeko was busily mopping the floor. He stopped and stared at her. "Holy cow, Mom, are you PMS-ing again?"

Myeko stopped short and glared at him. "What is it with you blasted males and your obsession with pre-menstrual syndrome? Why is everything I do a harbinger of my stupid period, anyway? Maybe if you guys would take the chance to learn a little something about the whole system and stop treating it like one gigantic joke—"

Looking startled, Alexander raised both hands and very slowly started to back up. "Okay, okay, Mom, sorry. I take it back."

"You'd better," she growled at him. "A woman can't get mad or eat chocolate or clean house without some freaking guy deciding she must have PMS. What's the story, is it that unnatural for us to get mad or eat chocolate or clean house? Especially housecleaning—I'm the only one who ever does that around here anyway…"

"Well, I see you're home," broke in Nick's voice then, and she halted her diatribe and looked up. Alexander had a very strange look on his face; Nick seemed a little surprised.

"Yeah, well, hi," said Myeko, trying to smile. "Interested in lunch?"

"I was, till you started going ballistic," Alexander said, still backing away. "Let me know when Mom calms down, willya?" This he directed at Nick, who merely glanced at him. Alexander didn't bother waiting for a reply but made tracks.

Nick took a few steps into the kitchen and stopped just shy of the wet part of the floor. "Wow," he said, surveying it, before meeting Myeko's gaze again. "So…you stay away for the better part of a week, and all you can say when I walk in is 'interested in lunch'?"

"Fine, then, make your own," said Myeko flatly. "Just thought I'd ask." She went back to her mopping, well aware of every move Nick made, or didn't make in this case. He only stood there watching her, till at last she was driven to mutter, "I'm sorry I ran out on you with the kids. I…just couldn't take your attitude, that's all."

"Oh, I had an attitude, now," Nick said. "That's what you call it."

"What do you call it?" she wanted to know, without ever looking up from her mop.

"Stepping aside so you could come up with the solution that was best for you," he said. "Getting out of your way."

That did make her stop, and she stared at him. "I didn't want you out of my way. I wanted to talk it over with you and find out what your ideas were. Instead you just dropped the whole thing in my lap and refused to bother with it at all."

Nick sighed heavily and drove his hands into his pockets. "Well, all right, maybe that was the wrong approach. I just…" He hesitated, then peered at her, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "What'd you decide about the reunion, anyway?"

"We're going," said Myeko, taking a fortifying breath and meeting his gaze with what she hoped was an expressionless look. "Alexander, Noelle, me, Dawn…and you."

Nick gawked at her. "Say what!?"

"All five of us are going," Myeko repeated steadily. "That's what I decided this morning on the way back here. I want you to come with me, Nick."

"What for?" he exclaimed. "I'm not—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you're not even remotely related to the family. Neither am I, you know—I'm just there because I'm the mother of two Tokita relations. But everybody in the two older generations is married, and even a member of the next one down. I'll be damned if I show up all by myself, especially when I have a husband who could easily be there with me. So you're coming with us."

"Oh," said Nick, leaning against a recently washed countertop. "So that's how it is."

She nodded a couple of times and resumed her mopping, poking the mop between table and chair legs. "Hey, I'm not overly thrilled about it myself, you know."

"I gathered that," Nick remarked. "I guess my question is why."

"Solidarity," Myeko said shortly, kneeling to get to the floor directly under the middle of the table.

"That was too quick and too pat an answer," Nick said. "I'd be more inclined to believe it if you said it's because you didn't want to see your ex."

"Well, I don't. What's the point in seeing him and his truckload of progeny? I'd rather eat my teeth, one at a time." Nick laughed suddenly, and she stood up straight with surprise, then smiled pleadingly. "Can we sit down and really talk about it? I have to unload, you know, and I didn't want to do it to Michiko or anybody else, even my mother."

"Well, yeah, sure," Nick agreed with an amiable shrug. "Hope it doesn't ruin the floor, considering the effort you've been going to, cleaning up my mess."

"Yeah, I figured I'd better get to it before it morphed into toxic waste," said Myeko. "Don't worry about the floor, it'll be okay." They sat across from each other, and she tented her fingers atop the table. "Yeah, Hachiro has a lot to do with it. Michiko said she avoided him completely and set up the whole thing with his wife, so they're definitely going to be there. Of course, that means bringing their baseball team as well…"

Nick snickered. "You keep making references to the size of their brood. Just how many kids do they have, anyway?"

"They've got seven boys—her two from another relationship, then their five together, and there's a baby girl under construction and due around New Year's. One more and they really will have enough for a baseball team. Anyway, Alexander and Noelle passed on a few minor horror stories about the boys. Noelle didn't like being an island in a sea of men, and Alexander said that one of the stepbrothers, as opposed to the half-brothers, kept stealing his toy cars. That was why they quit going to visit not too long after our wedding."

"Mmm…yeah, I think Noelle especially was a lot happier here, trying to help me tend to the animals. But that was a long time ago…what, five years or something? I think that's time enough for the oldest ones to be at least a little civilized."

"Well, you know, once burned, twice shy. And then there's me…haven't seen Hachiro in all that time, and I don't know if his wife's a shrew, or the jealous type, or what. Michiko says she's nice, but that's just over the phone. If I show up stag, or doe, or whatever they call a single woman alone, she might decide I'm going to set my sights on her husband and get all nutzoid on me. And who knows if I could convince her I want as little as possible to do with Hachiro Tokita for the rest of my days on this planet. So I want to have you there with me as insurance…or reassurance. Mine as much as hers."

Nick laughed. "Okay, I guess I can live with that. I hear most of the Tokitas are really nice folks, anyway. You look like there's more to it than that, though."

"Uh-huh. I might not be thrilled about seeing Hachiro again, but him I can deal with. It's his parents." This last came out in a low tone, from a ducked head.

"His parents?" repeated Nick, to be sure he'd heard right.

"Yeah…his parents scare the bejabbers out of me. They always have. From the time Michiko and I made friends…must've been back in first grade or something. Anyway, every time I went over to her house, I was afraid I was going to stomp all over Japanese good manners. Her mom and dad are as traditional as they come, and they really intimidated me."

"Hold it…sounds a little irrational to me. Is there some incident that started all this? I mean, I don't think mincing good manners and stilted Japanese formality are enough to scare you, no matter how laid-back you prefer things."

"Maybe they wouldn't be, but…yeah, you're right. I was a little tomboyish—maybe not as much as Camille was when we were in elementary school, but kinda-sorta." Myeko waggled her palm back and forth, and he nodded. "I had a lot of energy, anyway, and it was hard for me to keep still. Well, first time I went home with Michiko, when I was around six and this gangly little first-grader, I found out their place was full of collectibles that Michiko's mom had inherited from her mother. Delicate vases and porcelain cups and hand-painted dishes, and priceless rice-paper fans, and two pure-silk kimonos, and really old prints on the walls. I just didn't realize how fragile all that stuff was. It registered, since my parents have a few pieces themselves. Difference is that the stuff Mom and Dad have was always displayed in a locked curio cabinet, which they made clear to us kids from day one was off-limits, but we could look all we liked. I figured with all this stuff out on display, it was okay to look at it up close. So I picked up a vase with a scene I really liked, and then this huge old ornery tomcat they had back then streaked out from under the table and right between my feet, and scared hell outta me. So of course, I dropped the vase."

"Ow," said Nick, wincing. "So that's what did it, huh?"

"That, my friend, was just the beginning," Myeko announced, seeing his eyes widen. "Michiko saw it and decided to help me clean it up, and we put the pieces in a paper bag and hid it in her room, under her bed. On the way back out to the living room, the cat practically attacked me. That miserable old beast just didn't like me, I guess. I leaped right in the air and knocked a cup and saucer off a shelf. So goodbye tea set. And then I accidentally ran into a wall and tore one of the prints…big rip right through the middle."

Nick shook his head. "You were totally out of luck that day, weren't you?"

"You said it," Myeko agreed. "Then her mother came in from the back yard and saw the ripped print, and then noticed Michiko still trying to clean up the broken cup and saucer, and she asked something in Japanese. Michiko looked so guilty, and I almost let her take the rap for it, but in the end I just couldn't. I started bawling like crazy and told her it was all my fault and I was sorry, and on and on. I think I bewildered her, but she finally patted my head and said in her kind-of-broken English that it was okay, they might be able to fix the broken pieces and maybe mend that ripped wall hanging. But I just couldn't believe she wasn't mad at me. I swore I saw the most damning look in that lady's eyes, and ever since then I've been terrified of going over there. Even after I stopped being quite so klutzy and grew into my arms and legs, I was scared. By then it was the overweening formality and the feeling that I was too gauche and gross and…oh, I don't know, _Western_ to meet with their approval."

Nick chuckled. "Well, okay, I suppose I can understand all that. But it's funny how you ended up marrying their son, when you must've known that meant you'd have even more contact with his parents, now that they were your in-laws."

"I know, it was pretty insane all right. But I was so head over heels about the dork, I never thought it through. And anyway, Masato and Miyoshi were so thrilled with their grandkids that they sort of put me at ease for a while. They adored Alexander and Noelle when they were babies." She sighed. "After the divorce, it was easier just to not see them. I always knew in the back of my mind that I was cheating them out of their grandchildren, but I was too intimidated by them, and the fact that they were my ex's parents didn't help, so I just let myself fall out of touch with them. And they were much too polite to contest my decision—after all, I'm their mother, and they're just the grandparents."

Nick nodded faintly, thinking for a moment, then leaned across the table. "Well, let's look at it this way. This is your chance to start over clean. I understand where you're coming from; my mother said her parents were the same, in some ways. But you can't let them scare you anymore, Myeko. Like it or not, they're always gonna be Alexander and Noelle's grandparents. And you might consider that it's a lot easier to face Masato and Miyoshi than Hachiro."

"Yeah, I guess so," Myeko agreed, with a reluctant smile. "Maybe I'm scared that Hachiro will start making noises about joint custody. He did once, before I met you."

Nick snorted. "Are you serious? What guy with seven and a half kids would demand to take on two more? He'd have to be out of his mind."

"He always wanted a big family," Myeko pointed out. "And he's getting it—look at all those kids. As far as he's concerned, the more the merrier. Two more are hardly gonna make a difference against the seven-point-five he has now."

"I suppose so," Nick conceded. "But I think we're on pretty solid ground, and unless his wife's one of those really spiteful types, she'll most likely talk him out of it. And Noelle and Alexander would probably categorically refuse. They've been here all their lives and they have friends here. Why would they just meekly go along with Hachiro? They'd raise bloody hell about being uprooted. I don't think you have much to worry about on that score, so let it slip your mind. And I promise I'll be right there by your side."

"That's all I'm asking," Myeko said softly, smiling tremulously. "Thanks, Nick, you're the best. And I'm so sorry I went bats on you with the kids."

"Hey, you came back with them, so all's forgiven. Now how about some lunch? I need some fortification before I go back out there and try to deal with that Saint Bernard from the fishing village. Got himself hung up on his collar a couple days ago and damn near choked himself to death, and he's a lousy patient. Every time I get within two feet of him he shows teeth, and I have to tranquilize him just to treat him."

Myeko laughed. "I'd say that deserves some serious sustenance. Let's see what we've got, and maybe Alexander'll join us, as long as he doesn't make wisecracks about PMS ."


	6. Chapter 6

§ § § -- August 20, 2005

Michiko had said to come anytime they liked, but Myeko was nervous enough to put off leaving, despite Alexander's and Noelle's impatience to be on their way. They were surprisingly eager to meet the Tokita cousins they'd never really known, though of course they still weren't too thrilled with the idea of facing Hachiro's many sons, saddled as they were with memories of a bunch of uncontrollable little boys. Still, they seemed enthusiastic, which boded well as far as Nick was concerned.

Christian and Leslie had been in Lilla Jordsö for the past couple of weeks or so, but Leslie had suggested Myeko e-mail her and let her know how the reunion went for her. It was this that Myeko was thinking about while Nick piloted the jeep to the neighborhood where the Tokita family lived. She was trying to battle back her nerves by imagining the funny stories she'd tell Leslie, although it wasn't working very well. Nick glanced at her from time to time, but he didn't say anything till he'd parked in front of the house; then he cleared his throat. "Listen, Myeko, don't go nuts, huh? I know you're nervous, but don't forget, you've got me. And I'm sure Hachiro isn't any more thrilled to see you than you are to see him, so he isn't too likely to start a conversation."

"Oh, forget Hachiro," Myeko said, sighing and watching Alexander and Noelle jump out of the jeep and stand at the edge of the yard, staring at the house. "It's his parents who're scaring me. Michiko didn't say whether she told them anything about my bringing the kids over here, and I honestly don't know what kind of reception I'm gonna get."

"Try to keep a positive attitude," Nick said. "Michiko understood everybody's sides, didn't she? She sympathized with you as much as with her parents. I think she's just looking for a way to bring everybody back together, maybe effect a sort of reconciliation or something, and I think this is a great way to do it. And didn't she call a few days ago and say something about a surprise or two?"

Myeko shrugged. "Yeah, she did, come to think of it, but with all my nerves about this thing, I forgot that part. Well, we might as well get this over with. Come on, Dawn." Dawn, clutching a Barbie doll she had received for her recent fourth birthday, waited for Myeko to release the seat belt strapping her into her booster, then scrambled out of the jeep and bounded ahead of all of them, even Alexander and Noelle.

"Sheesh, she's not even part of the family, and look at her running to join in," Alexander remarked, shaking his head.

"I bet it's because she smells the grill going out back," said Noelle with a smirk, and they all laughed. Dawn was still a very enthusiastic eater and a little chubby, but not too much so. She wasn't shy, either, as she proved again when the four of them ventured around to the back yard and found her in the middle of a group of young children, chattering away.

"Whoa," breathed Alexander, eyes widening. "Check out all the people!"

"I didn't think this family was that big," Nick admitted. "I hope Masato and Miyoshi can feed everybody."

"Good thing not all of us are sleeping over," Myeko said dryly. "You see Michiko anyplace? That looks like Errico over there…and I'll be damned, Princes Paolono and Marcolo came with him! I didn't think they would."

"Their father's probably still hoping to get them married off," Nick wisecracked. When Michiko's stepdaughter, Adriana, had married Christian's nephew, Roald, the past spring, the story had come out that Errico had been hoping his children would start finding suitable spouses, and was very pleased to have seen Adriana successfully wed. Reportedly his sons weren't averse to the idea of getting married, but they seemed to be overly choosy, at least in the king's opinion.

"I hope he doesn't think they're going to find candidates here," said Myeko, just as Michiko emerged from the house with a platter of swordfish to be put on the grill. "You've gotta be kidding me, Michiko. Your parents are feeding this whole crowd swordfish??"

Michiko lit up. "Myeko, how wonderful, you got here after all! I see Dawn's made herself right at home." They laughed, and she hefted the platter of fish. "This is actually Errico's contribution to the feast. Everybody in our family loves fish, and swordfish is a rare treat, so he said to go ahead and get a generous supply. Mother's basement freezer is packed to the brim with swordfish. We'll eat really well today."

"Well, that works for me," Nick put in. "I love swordfish. But what'll you do about the kids? They're not too likely to have a taste for it."

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Some of the kids do, actually. For those who don't, Saburo and Hachiro are grilling hamburgers and hot dogs…the old standbys. So nobody'll go hungry today." She grinned suddenly and leaned in toward Myeko, at the same time moving slowly toward the grill. "How long has it been since you last saw Hachiro?"

Myeko blinked. "Oh, I dunno…at least five years, maybe more. Why?"

"Just wait till you do see him. He's inside at the moment, but keep an eye out for him. I think you'll be surprised." Giggling softly, Michiko excused herself and toted the platter on to the grill, while Myeko stared after her, curiosity piqued in spite of herself.

Nick saw it. "Gotcha going, didn't she?" he asked, grinning.

She bopped him one in the gut. "How come Kei didn't teach you that gloating is rude? Why don't we find someplace to sit, before I start feeling really conspicuous."

Alexander and Noelle, like their mother, had been hanging on the edges of the gathering, watching the goings-on at something of a remove and looking uncertain about joining the party. Someone Myeko didn't recognize, possibly one of Saburo's or Kayoko's girls, came up to them and urged, "Come on, join the fun! This place is an open house as it is, so you might just as well forget being shy." She smiled. "I'm Naomi Matsuda—Kayoko's my mother. Are you Aunt Michiko's friend, Myeko?"

"That's me," said Myeko. "Nice to meet you, Naomi. These are my two, Alexander and Noelle. Hachiro's kids," she added hesitantly, after a moment.

Naomi's eyes went wide. "Good grief, Uncle Hachiro has even more kids? I knew he had a whole bunch of boys, but that's about it. How old are you two?"

"I'm thirteen, my sister's eleven," Alexander told her. "He was married before Lani, and we're his first kids."

Naomi nodded comprehension. "That means he's got nine all told, ten if you count the one who's still gestating. I wonder if he even realizes it." She snickered, and Alexander and Noelle both laughed, sounding a little startled.

"I don't think so," Noelle said, rolling her eyes. "Haven't seen him in years. He has too many stupid boys."

Naomi grinned. "I hear you, cousin, believe me. My family and I've been to visit them twice the past couple years, and talk about awkward. They had all boys, we had all girls, and my youngest sister is six years older than their oldest boy. We have nothing under the sun in common except a set of grandparents."

Alexander broke in suddenly with, "Hey, Naomi, did you ever see Ephraim playing with a lot of Matchbox cars?"

Nick ducked his head, trying to stifle a laugh, and Myeko groaned aloud. "Oh, really, Alexander, you can't expect her to remember something like that."

"Hey, it's no problem," Naomi assured her. "Come to think of it, yeah, I seem to remember he was torturing the latest baby by driving toy cars all over him, last time we were there. How come?"

"They're probably mine," Alexander said. "He stole them years ago."

Naomi laughed. "Listen, if you stick around long enough, we might find a way to get those cars back for you. So…have you seen Uncle Hachiro yet?"

"No," Myeko said guardedly.

Naomi's grin lingered. "Just wait till you do. So, guys, come on over and we'll talk a little and play with my sister's baby. What say?" Alexander and Noelle agreed readily and followed their newfound cousin off across the yard. A moment later, with Myeko staring in wonder after them, Michiko paused beside her again, on her way back to the kitchen.

"Still standing here? Tell you what, Nick, my brother-in-law, Kiichiro, and my husband are sitting over there talking. Why don't you break up the exclusive club while we're waiting for Mattéano and Reiko to get their behinds over here. And Myeko, why don't you come with me. Since the mountain isn't coming to Mohammed…" Without finishing or explaining the sentence, she grasped Myeko's forearm and towed her along toward the steps leading up to the back door.

Suddenly Myeko had a sense of foreboding and dug her heels in. "Wait just a minute, Michiko. First you said 'wait till you see Hachiro', and then a minute ago your niece Naomi said the same thing, just about word for word. Are you dragging me in there just to get a gander at him? I don't _want_ to see him, for crying out loud!"

Michiko gave her a reproachful look. "Myeko, you can't tiptoe around the place forever, trying to avoid him. He's the father of your children, no matter how much you wish he weren't. I told you before, I'm not saying you have to make nice to him. But even this reunion isn't big enough to keep you two apart indefinitely, and besides, I want you to meet his wife, Lani. Come on, Myeko, be a good sport."

Myeko growled but capitulated, and Michiko nodded once, as if in satisfaction, and continued leading her along. They elbowed their way into the kitchen and paused just inside the door; it was fairly crowded, they saw, with at least five other people in there trying to prepare food. Myeko half-gasped, cutting it off in the middle with a gulp. The screen door clattered shut and everyone turned around to look at her. "Here she is," said Michiko. "I told you she was coming."

One of the men chuckled. "I guess I lost the bet after all."

"You certainly did, big brother. Don't forget now, a wooden coat of arms by Christmas, okay?" Michiko grinned, while Myeko wondered what she was up to. She had only a split second to think this, however, because then the elderly gray-haired couple approached her, both with gentle smiles on their faces. Myeko tried to smile back, but she suspected it was a sorry effort at best, since she was almost literally quaking in her shoes.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Tokita," she managed finally, swallowing loudly.

Miyoshi Tokita's smile broadened, and Masato Tokita reached out and took her hand. "We are honored by your attendance, Myeko. It was very good of you to come."

Stricken speechless, Myeko blinked at them, then looked helplessly at Michiko, who playfully rolled her eyes. "I see we're going to have to have a little talk later on, when some of the chaos has died down and most of these hungry bears have been fed. Right now, though, well…you know my brother Saburo, of course. Over there at the table making the vat of salad is Lani—and there's Hachiro, slaving over a hot oven."

Both turned around as she named them, and the woman immediately approached, her smile warm and very friendly. "Hi, Myeko, I'm Lani," she said, sticking out a hand. "It's great to meet you after all these years of hearing about you from one source or another."

"You did? Uh…I mean, hi there," Myeko sputtered, visited with yet another shock. She awkwardly shook Lani's hand, and Lani laughed.

"Hey, believe me, I understand your position all too well. If I got pushed into going to my ex-husband's family reunion—well, let's put it this way, his parents'd have to hire bodyguards for him, because I'm not convinced I wouldn't gun him down on the spot. I sympathize with you, really. I've had to get my info on my husband's previous life piecemeal from other sources, because he's annoyingly closemouthed about it."

Myeko grinned foolishly. "Some things never change, I guess."

"So is this hen session designed to embarrass me in front of my family?" demanded a male voice from the left, and Lani smirked while Myeko took a deep breath, mentally braced herself, and turned reluctantly to look at Hachiro Tokita. And when she did, her mouth fell open and hung there, and a squeak came out, causing everybody else to burst into laughter. Myeko actually reached over and pinched herself.

Hachiro shot his family a look of annoyed tolerance. "Okay, okay, you guys, knock it off already, willya?"

Myeko shook her head. "I can't believe it's you," she muttered. Hachiro had changed greatly in appearance from the last time she'd seen him. He was discernibly stockier, with a fair pot belly that hung out over his belt, and he had begun balding—quite rapidly, judging from the amount of scalp that gleamed in the light. What was left of his hair was beginning to turn gray around his ears. Myeko blinked slowly, shook her head, blinked again; but she still saw the same almost-unrecognizable man there.

"Hi, Myeko," Hachiro said, which jolted her into the realization that he had been studying her as intently as she had him.

"H-hi," she said, almost voicelessly. Another shock like this, she thought, and they'd have to call the paramedics to treat an unexpected heart attack. "Good grief, but you've changed. Last time…last time, you had a whole head of hair…"

Hachiro reddened and shot his grinning brother a _shut up or else_ look. "Yeah, I've heard the whole litany. I wasn't showing any scalp and it was all black, and now I've lost enough hair to make a wig and I'm going gray on top of it. And don't even start on this…" He patted his gut, and Myeko just couldn't help it: she exploded with laughter.

"Sorry," she gasped the moment it got out. "I didn't mean…oh, geez…" But Lani and Michiko were both laughing; Saburo was almost roaring; and the senior Tokitas were still smiling very broadly. Hachiro shook his head and at last offered a crooked grin.

When Myeko had some control over herself, she glanced back and forth between Hachiro and Lani, wondering. "Don't you two have lots of boys?" she asked, wincing as the words left her mouth. She and Camille were two of a kind, she thought, neither particularly known for tact; but her own was usually accidental. And she'd had enough big surprises today that, just maybe, she had a little temporary license.

"Yup, I'm afraid we do," Lani said good-naturedly. "We'll talk later on, Myeko—I do want to get to know you, really. But we need to finish preparing the rest of the meal so we can calm down all the restless natives, and then we'll find a spot and talk."

Myeko had regained most of her composure by now, and was coherent enough to say, "I'd like that a lot, actually. But, uh…there's something really important I need to do first." She turned to Masato and Miyoshi. "Mr. and Mrs. Tokita, please, if you'll come with me, there are a couple of people I'd like to introduce you to." She didn't wait for a response but led Michiko's parents out the door, moving a little more slowly to accommodate them. She wondered briefly how old they were now; they had a great-grandson, after all, and they both had snowy-white hair. Maybe she'd ask Michiko later.

Waiting for Masato and Miyoshi to catch up, she scanned the yard and noticed Noelle still talking with Naomi, and Alexander standing near Kiichiro, Errico and the newly arrived Mattéano and Reiko with their little son, though Alexander was on the fringes and looked more than a little lost. She caught his eye, mouthed _get your sister_ at him and waved him over. Alexander nodded and turned away to get Noelle, and Myeko clasped her hands behind her back and stood uneasily, heart thumping within her, but convinced it was right.

Within a minute Alexander and Noelle approached her, both looking quizzical, and she cleared her throat and stepped back once or twice. "Alexander and Noelle," she said, "I want you to meet your grandparents."

The children stared uncertainly at the grandparents they only vaguely remembered, while Masato and Miyoshi stood still and gazed and gazed. Finally Alexander stuttered, "It's…I'm glad to meet…I mean, to see you."

Then Myeko got a better look and realized that Masato's eyes were sheeny. Miyoshi slowly lifted a trembling hand to her mouth, and then smiled behind it. With the other hand she reached out and gently fingered some of Noelle's hair. "Your hair, so like mine when I was little girl," Miyoshi murmured.

Noelle stared in amazement at this new-to-her grandmother. "Did you look like me when you were little?" she asked.

Miyoshi smiled broadly and nodded, her black eyes twinkling. "I show you picture, if you like to see," she offered hopefully.

"I think that'd be fun," Noelle agreed shyly and smiled back, and a tear slid out of Miyoshi's eye. Masato blinked back his own tears, then stepped forward and hugged Alexander, shocking Myeko yet again. It was the very last thing she'd expected from this formal, correct man, and she found herself entertaining the disturbing thought that her own misconceptions had caused several people to miss out on a lot of things.

She watched her children get to know their grandparents for some time, till the call eventually came that it was time to eat. Tables had been rented so that everyone could eat al fresco, and Myeko was amazed, happy and just a little ashamed of herself when she saw that Alexander and Noelle insisted on sitting near Masato and Miyoshi. She ate her swordfish, salad, baked potato and other food more or less in a thoughtful trance, catching Nick's eye once or twice and feeling reassured by his smile.

When everyone had finally had enough to eat and Lani, Kayoko and Saburo's wife Kalani, along with Kayoko's daughters Naomi and Ayumi, were collecting plates, plasticware and glasses, Michiko stood up and cleared her throat. "If I could possibly have everyone's attention," she began, and when the throng had quieted, she smiled. "I promised two surprises at this reunion, and now I want to bring out the first one. Just a few weeks ago, Mr. Roarke introduced me to some special people, and I want to present them to the rest of you." She waved at someone, and heads twisted around to see who it was. A man and a boy rose from the far end of one of the tables and made their way up to stand beside Michiko, both looking slightly embarrassed. "Everyone, this is Mr. Tetsuo Yanagi and his son, Hiroshi. They are relatives of ours, and I wanted to make them feel welcome here and within our family by inviting them to this reunion."

Instantly a buzz arose among the family, while Myeko wondered in amazement how these two people had come out of the woodwork at such an opportune time. Michiko raised a hand, and everyone quieted. "Mr. Yanagi is a linguist specializing in the ancient Ainu language of Hokkaido, and speaks it fluently, along with his son. He's working to preserve the tongue before it completely dies out, so that it can be studied. I'll let him explain how he came to be here and his relationship to the rest of us."

Tetsuo Yanagi cleared his throat and searched the gathering, then let his gaze rest on Masato Tokita. "Tokita-san?" he began politely.

"I am Masato Tokita, yes," answered Michiko's father.

Tetsuo bowed. "Tokita-san, my grandfather was Haruki Yanagi, brother of Fumiko, who was…involved with Jiro Tokita." He paused, seeing Masato's expression change to one of barely-leashed shock.

"Jiro and Fumiko were my parents," Masato said at last, his voice slightly hoarse. "I knew nothing of my mother's past, and my father would not tell anything of their lives before they came to this island." He arose, a little laboriously but with dignity, and slowly approached Tetsuo. "This would mean that you are…how does the relationship go in English, Michiko?"

"First cousin once removed, I think," said Michiko.

"Forgive me, Michiko, I had the relationship wrong," Tetsuo said, and she smiled. He turned back to Masato. "I am very honored to meet you."

"Can you tell me more about my parents' origins?" Masato inquired hopefully.

"Very little, other than what I was told by my foster grandparents and a clue my grandfather left behind," Tetsuo told him, and briefly explained his history and what he had learned at Tomioka. "That is all the information I have."

"When Jiro and Fumiko vanished, they must have somehow made their way here," Masato reasoned slowly. "But how, I wonder?"

Michiko grinned. "That's the other surprise I've planned. Mr. Roarke has graciously agreed to take a little time from his weekend schedule and fill in the blanks, because of course, he was here when they arrived and knows the circumstances." She quickly checked her wristwatch. "He should be here any time now."

Several family members had gotten up and were talking with Tetsuo, and Alexander and Hiroshi had discovered they were the same age, when Roarke arrived, and grinned with appreciation at the large chorus of greetings he got. "It's very good to be made to feel so welcome! I certainly hope this has been a success, Michiko."

She nodded, beaming. "It's been terrific. Your timing is amazing, Mr. Roarke. Tetsuo just got introduced to the family, and I think everybody's ready for my grandparents' backstory. If you like, I can find you a chair."

"I would certainly appreciate that, thank you," Roarke said, and Michiko collared Myeko and brought her into the house with her.

"This has really been some afternoon," Myeko admitted with a good-natured smile, when Michiko gently pressed her. "Your parents didn't frown in disapproval at me or give me hell for denying them their grandchildren, and you were right—I didn't even have to make nice with Hachiro."

Michiko laughed. "Well, there you go. Oh, this is a good one." She tugged a high bar stool with a back support away from the dry bar in the downstairs rumpus room, similar to the one Myeko had thrown all her high-school Halloween parties in. "Help me carry this?"

They toted it out to the back yard and positioned it so Roarke could easily see everyone to whom he was speaking, and found their seats. The tables were clear and there were stacked plastic dessert bowls, along with more plasticware and lots of napkins, waiting to be filled. However, by now the entire extended family was more interested in hearing what Roarke had to tell them than in dessert, and all eyes (except, Myeko noted with amusement, the really young children, mostly Hachiro's) were on him.

Roarke took his seat, thanked Michiko again and glanced across the eager faces. "I understand that the Yanagis have been warmly welcomed into the family, and I'm very gratified to know that. But of course, I would have expected nothing else." He smiled and the gathering laughed. "I'm sure Mr. Yanagi and his son are as interested in this tale as the Tokitas are, so why don't I take you back in time a number of decades…"


	7. Chapter 7

§ § § -- June 17, 1925

Business often fell off during the summer months, to the point where Roarke had more free time than he sometimes knew how to spend. But that was all right; he did well enough now during the late fall, winter and early spring that he had been able to have his beautiful new Queen Anne-style house built just a few years before. He was still in the process of furnishing it, but that was more due to careful choosiness than lack of funds. He had a certain impression to make on his customers, and without exception they were extremely wealthy men and women. He had hoped to make an excursion to Persia to find an outstanding example of their famous carpets for his study floor, as well as for his bedroom, this summer, and had calculated that he should be able to go in July. Even the cleanup operation in the aftermath of the previous day's offshore storm should go smoothly.

He was still making notes on what else he hoped to bring home from this journey when there came a knock on the inner-foyer door. "Yes?" he called.

A pair of natives, whom Roarke recognized from the fishing village, came hesitantly inside, peering nervously around the room. The woman carried a baby on her hip, and it was clear that she and her husband had walked the twenty-plus miles from their home. Their feet were muddy from the dirt road that was still being carved out of the jungle and would eventually circle the entire island. "Mr. Roarke, sir…" the man began.

Roarke smiled, hoping to put them at ease. "What can I do for you?"

The baby reached out towards Roarke, beaming, and its mother smiled in response, while her husband cleared his throat. "Is it possible for you to come to our home in the village, sir?" he asked. "We…we have found something, and we are not sure what we should do. It was decided that we must appeal to you."

"What have you found?" Roarke prompted patiently.

"A young couple," the woman said, looking anxious. "We thought at first that they had drowned, but they breathe still, so they live. But we do not know how to care for them, and we fear that they may yet die."

Roarke, on alert, stood up immediately. "Come with me, I'll drive you back to the village myself. If they need medical help, I will have to see to it." He led them out to a Great War-vintage troop transport, painted white, that could withstand the mud-choked, pitted, uneven surface of the new Ring Road.

At the village, he followed the couple to their cramped grass hut, which stood on a tiny sandbar jutting out from the beach. Nearby lay the natives' fishing outriggers, pulled up in neat rows on the sand, and at the near end Roarke noticed a battered little wooden skiff, barely big enough to hold three people, with a heap of dirty white cloth lying in the bow. The husband noticed where his glance went. "We found them in that little boat, sir," he said, pointing to it. "I think that cloth was an attempt at a sail."

Mystified, disbelieving and impressed all at once, Roarke shook his head to himself and ducked into the hut after the little family. There was barely enough room for mother, father and infant; with Roarke and the two still figures lying side by side at the back wall, it was almost impossible to move around. But Roarke immediately knelt beside the pair on the floor. They were indeed breathing, but they didn't look well. They were both quite sunburned, too thin for his liking, and clad in rags; neither had shoes. There was a visible lump on the woman's head; her matted black hair straggled over her shoulders and had begun to work itself into the hut's dirt floor. The young man's hair was cut in short, spiky tufts, as though he'd tried to chop it off himself.

Roarke turned to the native couple. "Have they awakened at all since you found them?" he wanted to know.

"No," said the husband, frowning. "Their boat washed up here just this morning, and they lay in it in just the condition you see them now."

Roarke considered the situation just long enough to make a decision. "Go and bring back four strong young men. I will take them myself to the doctor in Amber Village, and then perhaps we will find out more."

The husband hurried out, and the woman paused near Roarke, still with the baby on her hip. "I have been able to get water down their throats, but only a tiny amount."

Roarke smiled. "You've done what little you could. It was very wise of you to come to me. I believe it's possible to help these people now."

Half an hour later the still-unconscious couple lay on beds in the back room of the doctor's office, in a cluster of small shops, a post office, and a police station in what had been dubbed Amber Village by its inhabitants. The hamlet's namesake, the doctor's golden retriever, lay under the woman's bed with her head out, raised, watching her owner as he carefully examined the new arrivals.

"What do you think, doctor?" Roarke asked after a few minutes.

The doctor stood up. "Well, they're malnourished, and they have the worst cases of sunburn I've ever come across. But with care and treatment, they should both recover." He frowned. "How did you say they arrived?"

"In a small boat," Roarke told him. "It appeared to be little bigger than a rowboat, and they apparently tried to fashion a sail for it." He stroked the dog's head when she came out from under the bed and gently bumped his leg. "Please notify me when they awaken; I'd like to speak with them and learn their story."

"I'll do that," the doctor promised. "It may be some time. I don't like the looks of that bump on the lady's head there. It could be a concussion, from the size of it."

Roarke regarded the woman and shook his head a little. "Thank you," he said at last, and patted the dog's head. "Watch over them, Amber." With a little smile for the retriever, he shook the doctor's hand and departed.

He had just finished eating that evening when a native boy trotted onto the porch. "Mr. Roarke?" he said. "Dr. Kenneally sent me. He says one of his patients is awake."

"Thank you," Roarke said and promptly arose. He had little to do this evening, and was eager to solve this mystery.

Dr. Kenneally and Amber met him at the door; Amber's tail was flapping like a flag in a hurricane. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Roarke. Just follow me. One of our guests came to a little while ago, and I gave him some soup. He's calm and coherent, and he speaks enough English to make himself understood, but he didn't say much. Just asked about the girl—he called her his wife."

"Intriguing," murmured Roarke, patting Amber's head. "May I see them now?"

Dr. Kenneally nodded and led him to the back room, then grasped Amber's collar and pulled her away. "Come on, girl, time for us to eat something too," he urged the dog. Roarke grinned briefly, then entered the back room and smiled at the young man, who now sat up in bed with a bowl of broth cradled in his hands.

"Good evening," Roarke said, nodding his head once in respect. "My name is Roarke, and I am the owner and highest authority here. May I ask your name?"

In halting English with a heavy accent, the young man said, "I am Tokita Jiro." He glanced anxiously at the silent woman in the other bed, and Roarke noticed for the first time that their faces and hands at least had been cleaned, revealing their sunburned features to be Asian in origin. The name told Roarke that they were Japanese.

"Tokita-san…" he began.

"Please, Roarke-san, not honor me so," Jiro Tokita protested unexpectedly. "I am only poor laborer." His voice cracked and he coughed, then begged, "Forgive me, please," and drank some of the broth from his bowl. "I beg question."

"Ask as many questions as you wish," Roarke said, settling into a folding chair.

"Please, Roarke-san, where are we?" the young man asked.

"This is Fantasy Island," Roarke told him. He wasn't surprised at the blank look on Jiro Tokita's face; he and his operation were not well-known, except in the very highest social echelons, and it was clear that the newcomer had very little, if anything, to his name. "You are in the South Pacific, approximately one hundred miles north of the equator at about 160° longitude. It's a small island and there are not many of us here, but as I explained, I am the owner and the ultimate authority. I operate a resort here."

Jiro Tokita nodded very slowly, and Roarke wondered exactly how much English he knew; he seemed to be having trouble processing what he'd heard. As interested as he was in languages, he didn't have full mastery of more than four, including his own ancient ancestral tongue, and only working knowledge of five or six others, one of which was Chinese. However, in his travels he had picked up a smattering of Japanese, and he tried to put the young man at ease by speaking a few words of reassurance. The effect was electric; Jiro Tokita stared at him, then suddenly smiled. For the first time hope crept into his expression, and he allowed himself a worried glance at the woman.

"Please, sir, my—my wife?" he asked.

"I know little, I fear," Roarke said quietly. "At this moment, you can tell me far more than I can tell you. I would like to hear your story."

Jiro Tokita seemed to struggle with a decision; he drank more of the broth while he considered it, then sighed gently and met Roarke's gaze. "I tell you what I can," he said. "I learn English from Hong Kong traders who come to our village, but is not good. I am very sorry for this, Roarke-san."

"I ask only for your best effort," Roarke assured him.

The young man nodded, swallowed some more broth and drew in a breath. "I am twenty years old, my wife is nineteen." Roarke noticed a faint hesitation on the word _wife_, so slight that no one else would have detected it, and wondered at it, but let the question lie for the moment. "She is Fumiko Yanagi. We come here from same town in Japan, Tomioka. Our families…" He paused, searched for the word, then said with a helpless shrug, "Not like each other. Bad trouble. All Tokitas against Yanagis, all Yanagis against Tokitas. This happen many years and no one know why."

"A family feud?" Roarke guessed.

"_Hai, hai,"_ said the young man, nodding vigorously. "But I see Fumiko, she see me, and we wish only quiet life together. We…love, Roarke-san, I love her, she love me, and we wish marriage and peace." Roarke nodded understanding. "Our families not allow this. Before, is only bad feelings. After, is much trouble. Insults, killing, destroy fields and…things. Homes and other things. Only because Fumiko and I wish for life together."

"I see," Roarke said softly. He focused on the young man. "What do you do? Are your families farmers, or what?"

"Pearl divers," said Jiro Tokita. "Fumiko dive for pearls, all girls do this in our families. Boys and young men dive also. Older men polish and women sew or make jewels. We can do this again if we find place to remain, if pearls are there. We work hard, Roarke-san."

Roarke smiled reassuringly. "I am sure you do. Unfortunately, there are few pearls to be found in these waters, although the fishing has always been excellent here. Perhaps you can earn a living in that fashion. But I am interrupting, please forgive me. I should like to know how you and Fumiko came to be here."

"We know we cannot stay. Only way to have our life is to go. So we leave when night is darkest and is no moon. Take many pearls to sell or trade so that we can buy food and water. Take old clothing to make…cloth to move boat."

"Sail," Roarke prompted.

"_Hai, hai,_ sail. Take sticks also to move boat when is no wind. Take some clothes also. Cannot take more. Fumiko take favorite kimono…" Jiro smiled. "I wish her happy, so I say yes. We know boat, but is not easy to move quickly. We are lucky and wind is good, and in three days we are in great sea."

"Was it your intention to leave Japan entirely? To take to the open ocean?" Roarke asked, amazed at this revelation. They were very young and probably quite foolhardy; it was pure luck that they hadn't died.

"Yes, we leave Japan. Want go another place, any other place. Twice we see ship on water and they see us, and we trade pearls for food and water. Always ask if we wish to go on ship, but we say no. Not enough pearls to go very far away on ship."

Roarke nodded again. "I see. But you didn't know where you would end up."

"No. Not know where we wish to go. We are on sea for many days. I not know how many, just many. Then we see great storm come to us and we can do nothing. Lucky to stay in boat, but lose most things. Lose way and not know which way we go. Storm last three days. See island far away and try to go there, but great water come to boat and…Fumiko fall out. I save her, but she is…asleep, so." He gestured at the girl, and Roarke nodded, glancing at her. So that was how she had gotten the concussion; she must have banged her head falling out of the boat, somehow.

"I try to go to island alone, but is not easy. So tired. Cannot move, must sleep. Storm go and I cannot move." He shook his head helplessly; Roarke frowned.

"It seems you had this island within your sights," he mused. "We are still cleaning away debris from it, and we received only the edge. The surf was higher than usual, and it appears that it washed you up in our fishing village. That is where you were rescued and I was notified of your presence."

Jiro Tokita nodded. _"Hai, hai._ Is so."

Roarke waited, but the young man didn't volunteer any more, and after a moment he fixed Jiro with a steady gaze. "You are both very young, and you left in a great hurry with very little…yet you call the young lady your wife. Are you in fact married?"

Even under the fierce sunburn he could see Jiro's face go pale, and after a moment the young man shook his head, closing his eyes in shame. "We not married, but I _feel_…Fumiko is my wife. I want marriage."

"Yes," Roarke said and smiled a little. "That is possible." He sat back, took in another breath and regarded the now-wary young man. "Do you fish?"

"I know how," said Jiro.

"And what of the young lady?" Roarke inquired.

"She dive for pearls. Can sew also," Jiro offered hopefully.

Roarke nodded thoughtfully. "Do you feel you are in danger if your families should learn of your whereabouts?"

Jiro nodded so hard the remaining broth sloshed dangerously in the bowl. "Can never go back. If we go back, they kill us. Bad trouble."

Roarke considered it. There was a very small Asian community on the island already, consisting of four families who, like Jiro Tokita and Fumiko Yanagi, had sought refuge on the island in the last two decades or so. Two were Chinese, one Korean and one Japanese, and they tended to keep to themselves mostly. These two might well be able to make a home in that settlement, and their love story touched him. Admittedly, he was a sucker for a love story, but they had compelling reasons for fleeing, and they had an unusual store of courage for such young people. He smiled. "I will allow you to remain here on the island, as long as you are willing to earn your living—and, of course, you can be married here."

"Is all we wish," said Jiro softly. "If doctor make Fumiko well again, I ask nothing more. Wish only that if families search for us, no one tell we are here."

"Not even to reconcile?" Roarke asked. "To mend relations?"

"Can never happen. Much bad trouble. So many die. Feud too strong."

Roarke nodded. "Very well, you will be safe here. If you are able to establish yourselves, to find employment and make a home, then exactly one year from today you will both be eligible for citizenship. Is this acceptable?"

Jiro nodded, gratitude shining in his eyes. _"Hai, hai,_ Roarke-san, much so. I am grateful, and Fumiko also, when she is well again."

§ § § -- August 20, 2005

"So that's how it all happened," said Hachiro, breaking the long, wondering silence that followed Roarke's narrative. He noticed the surprised looks on his relatives' faces and shrugged, rubbing his balding head in the late-summer heat of the afternoon. "I asked once when I was eleven or twelve. Figured it'd make a decent school report…only nobody would answer me."

"It was treated like a family secret," Kayoko said with a nod.

Masato sighed softly and cleared his throat. "I could tell little. The truth was that I just did not know. My parents became citizens just about the time I was conceived, and I was their only child. My mother could have no more after my birth; I wonder now if this was due to the rigors of that boat trip she and my father undertook. In any case, they never spoke of their lives in Japan. Like you, Hachiro, I asked once, as a child. My mother claimed not to remember—and now that you tell us she was unconscious on arrival and suffering from a concussion, Mr. Roarke, I wonder if perhaps she wasn't correct after all. My father refused to speak of it. He said it was history, and not suitable history for his mindset. All his life he preferred to look to the future."

Roarke nodded. "I recall that young Fumiko was unconscious for three days following your parents' arrival on these shores, and when she awoke she seemed quite confused. She recognized only Jiro. Whatever is in her official records—that is to say, the citizenship papers she signed in 1926—was provided mostly by Jiro, along with a few items that Fumiko herself was able to remember. She spoke so little English that Jiro usually acted as her interpreter. Over the years she learned enough to conduct daily life here, but I gained the sense that she was never truly comfortable in it, though I know she was very happy here."

"I grew up under that happiness," Masato said. "I think she felt safe and secure here, that it was peaceful and beautiful, and the perfect place to spend her days."

"That's why Grandmother was always so quiet and serene, wasn't it?" Michiko put in, clutching Errico's hand. "She seemed to just accept everything, and she was always looking, looking, taking in her surroundings."

"She was undoubtedly very glad to be alive," Roarke said, nodding.

Masato turned to Tetsuo. "So your grandfather would have been my mother's brother. Do you know if he was older or younger?"

Tetsuo shook his head. "I think we would have to research that information in the records at Tomioka. Perhaps if you and I work together, we can find out and fill in the gaps in our knowledge." He returned Masato's smile and glanced around the group. "I am very glad to know the story now. I can see that Jiro and Fumiko would have been very pleased and proud of all their descendants here."

Myeko looked around as well and found herself agreeing with that sentiment. She still had her doubts about Hachiro; but she'd learned quite a few things here today, and she was honest enough to admit to herself that there was still the capacity for surprises. As she got up to help serve dessert, she found herself looking forward to her upcoming chat with Lani and Michiko.

That didn't happen until late that afternoon, long after Roarke's departure and while most of the rest of the family was involved in a lively backyard baseball game. Lani, leaping at the chance to take a rest, reminded Michiko and Myeko of the talk they had planned, and they both agreed eagerly. They poured tall glasses of sun tea and cloistered themselves away in the Tokitas' rumpus room, making themselves comfortable on a huge, plush old sofa there and sipping at their tea. Lani opened with, "So tell me about you, Myeko."

Myeko shrugged. "I'm 40, lived here all my life, been pals with Michiko since first grade. You probably noticed I showed up here with more people than just Alexander and Noelle—my husband Nick is the island vet, and our daughter Dawn is four."

Lani nodded. "Okay, I guess that's the basics, but I suppose I'm just wondering what Hachiro was like when he was married to you. Was he a good father? A good husband? I'm trying to get some sense of him before I first met him."

"He never told you anything?" Myeko asked, amazed.

Michiko and Lani looked wryly at each other. "He's still as closemouthed as ever," said Michiko. "He was always a bit distant from the family, and after he left the island, that increased. But even while he was here, he held himself apart. I just got the feeling that he always figured himself something of the family fish out of water."

Myeko frowned. "I guess while we were married, he was a pretty good dad. Now that I look back on it, I'm kinda surprised he agreed to marry me, because it happened after Leslie was widowed and came back."

"Leslie?" Lani repeated blankly.

"Mr. Roarke's daughter," Michiko filled in, "Princess Leslie of Lilla Jordsö now—secondarily anyway—after she married Prince Christian. Myeko and I first met her late in eighth grade, and we've been friends ever since."

"Oh, that Leslie," Lani said, recognizing the name now. "I didn't know she grew up here. What does she have to do with Hachiro, though?"

"All through high school, pretty much ever since Leslie first arrived on this island as Mr. Roarke's ward, Hachiro had a crush on her," Myeko explained. "I never minded it, because he really messed up the one time he tried to ask her out, and treated her like dirt after, so that she couldn't stand him. So I knew she wasn't any competition." Lani nodded, and she continued, "In the meantime, I had this huge crush on Hachiro. Leslie got married just after she turned 20 and left the island, and I think it shocked him. I started working on him, but it took me so long to get him to come around that by the time we got married, Leslie's husband had died and she'd come back to the island. At least we'd already been engaged by the time she returned, and he probably felt bound to honor the commitment he'd promised to make, so he stuck with me. But I remember a couple of times he mentioned in passing that he might go see Leslie and welcome her back, stuff like that."

"Did he?" Michiko asked.

"No," Myeko said. "He didn't go, but I think he really wanted to. He must've always had that half-baked wish in his head that she'd return his feelings for her."

"That must've driven you crazy," Lani said, shaking her head slowly. "It's a wonder it didn't wreck your friendship with Leslie."

Myeko grinned. "That's the funny thing. Her attitude about him had never changed, and on top of that she spent a long time mourning her late husband. She wasn't in any shape to even consider falling in love again for years. So when Hachiro and I finally got divorced, it had nothing at all to do with whatever he still felt for Leslie. It was when he started working for Camille's brother in Hawaii. He'd had a job at the casino here, and when Tommy hired him, he got this gigantic raise in pay. He spent awhile commuting—and since he had no place to stay in Hawaii, it meant he flew the charter between here and Honolulu twice a day, five days a week, and a couple Saturdays a month on top of that."

"I can't believe he had the stamina for that," Lani said, wide-eyed.

"He didn't mind, I guess. He must have liked the money, since he wouldn't try to find equivalent work here. It drove me crazy—he wasn't here most of the day and some Saturdays, and when he was, he was too tired to play with his son. And I was feeling confined because I was a stay-at-home mom, and I wanted to get out and contribute to the family finances. Hachiro went ballistic on me when I told him I wanted to get a job, and he said he was earning plenty of money and I didn't need to." Myeko rolled her eyes. "It wasn't going to be some kind of drudge job where I had to stand on my feet all day or endure the abuse of strangers who didn't like the service or whatever. I had my sights on the island newspaper—I always thought it needed a good gossip columnist with a finger on the celebrity world. The paper hired me because of my friendship with Leslie, who got to see lots of celebrities, since she works as Mr. Roarke's assistant. She could usually get me an interview with them in the beginning, till I got some confidence and started arranging my own."

"Sounds like fun," Lani said with a grin.

"It's a blast," Myeko agreed cheerfully. "I love it. But the whole thing, his job and my wanting one, just drove us apart. He put forth the idea of staying in Hawaii during the week and returning here just on weekends, and that made me start wondering if he was seeing someone there. At the time I could've been jumping the gun, but he never said anything."

Michiko shrugged. "I guess only Hachiro would know that. But remember what your mother said a few weeks ago, Myeko? Maybe it was because he just didn't feel like bumping into Leslie, even accidentally."

Myeko briefly pondered that, then allowed, "Hmm, could be. Whatever it was, it just changed our mutual feelings, and I started wondering how well I'd really known the guy, for all the years I'd had my crush. He wasn't any more communicative with me than he was with anybody else. When we decided to split up, Alexander was a toddler and I was pregnant with Noelle. It took him a while to find a place in Hawaii, so he actually lived with us for a couple months after the divorce, packing his stuff and taking it with him on the charter to work every week, some items at a time. But he was gone completely by the time Noelle was born, so it was my friends who saw me through."

"I see," said Lani. "How did you meet Nick?"

Myeko giggled and glanced at Michiko. "I had it granted to me as a fantasy. I'd been a single mom for what felt like forever, and I was fed up with being alone and feeling like I had to extort child support from Hachiro. I was complaining at Leslie one day, and we were both feeling like rejects because I didn't have anybody and at the time, Christian was on some official royal thing in Australia someplace. It was while he was still stuck in that arranged marriage, and they hadn't seen each other in months." Lani nodded again. "Then I had this brilliant idea and asked Leslie to help me meet guys. Somehow she pulled it off and arranged for me to have the chance to meet ten different men. Nick was one of them, and he was the last one I met. He was here treating a horse at the island stables and looking at moving here permanently, since we didn't have a vet and everybody had to take their four-legged friends over to Coral Island for treatment. We got married a few months later, and by then Alexander was eight and Noelle was six."

Lani grinned. "What a great way to meet. But I remember that not too long after that, Noelle quit visiting us, and Alexander stopped coming shortly after. I think Noelle was feeling surrounded by boys, and I understand that—I have that feeling all the time. But I never did figure out what Alexander's reasons were."

Myeko shifted in her seat. "Well…your son Ephraim…well, Alexander claims he kept taking all his toy cars."

Lani's face got an odd look about it. "You know…" she mumbled, her eyes losing focus, "now that you mention it, I used to wonder a lot how he was getting all these new cars in his Hot Wheels collection. It never occurred to me that he was swiping them from Alexander, though." She looked up. "Wow, Myeko, I'm sorry about that. I thought I taught Ephraim better than that. Listen, he brought all his cars with him, so he could show them off to the family. If Alexander still wants them back, he can go through Ephraim's collection and pick out the ones that are his. And I'll make sure Ephraim doesn't make a peep."

"Well, Alexander'll sure appreciate that," Myeko said with a laugh. "I thought he was being particular…it's been five years, after all. But he'll probably claim he can remember exactly which ones are his." They all laughed. "Thanks a lot, Lani."

"Don't mention it." Lani sighed and took on a thoughtful look. "That's some story. It gives me a little more insight on Hachiro. I've talked with Michiko here, and even a little bit with Miyoshi, but everybody seems kind of mystified. Not that he isn't attentive. He works hard, maybe too hard, and he gives us all the best. And he knew I wanted a daughter, so he was more than willing to keep trying till we got one." She grinned sheepishly. "I just wish I'd known it was going to take six tries before we scored. I might've thought twice."

"Think of it this way—the kid'll be the family princess. And she'll never have any trouble with boys when she's a teenager, because her older brothers'll fight off every likely prospect, and she'll screech bloody murder eventually." Myeko grinned.

Lani burst out laughing. "You're probably right. I know one thing." She patted her gently rounded middle. "Olivia here will be our last child, period. Hachiro was always glad to hear I was pregnant again. Never figured that out."

"He always wanted a big family. That was another thing that helped break us up. He wanted at least five kids, and I was happy with my two."

"Oh, I see. I just wish he'd learn to take some time off and spend it with the boys we already have. I love the guy and he does try really hard, but I think the boys would love extra time with him. Maybe when Olivia gets here, he'll have some motivation. I've already told him I'm not having any more kids." Lani looked up. "I think he's under constant stress at work. I know his job is pretty important, high-level and all that, and he's making very good money, but brother, he sure earns it. At least he got his boss to cut out the every-other-Saturday thing, so he does have weekends with the boys. Aaron and Ephraim play baseball, and Liam was on a T-ball team this past spring, so he's starting to get into it too. He practices with them on weekends and tries to get Cody and even Zachary and Griffen into it, but they're a little too uncoordinated just yet. If I let him have his way, he'd have Tyler out there in his swing chair with a miniature glove on one hand."

Michiko and Myeko laughed. "At least he's spending some time with them," Michiko offered optimistically.

"Yeah, but not really enough. He practices with them for maybe half an hour and then says he's tired and needs to sit down. I kind of think he's not kidding. The stress of his job keeps him hopping, and ten to one it's responsible for his hair loss and the gray stuff around his ears, and especially that beer gut he's nurturing. Sometimes I wonder which one of us is pregnant." She grinned and Myeko exploded with laughter, while Michiko tried with no success at all to stop her manic giggling. "I keep telling him he needs to lay off the weekend beers and coach the boys more often, and maybe get out and be a coach on one of the teams. He could do Liam's, because Liam's learning a lot from him, or he could coach Ephraim and keep the damn kid in line. I love Ephraim, but he has too much of his father in him, and Hachiro's the only one with any real influence on him."

"So he's good with the boys, then." Myeko frowned a little. "But I have to wonder if he's spoken at all to either Alexander or Noelle. I've seen them around practically everyone except Hachiro, and there are times when I think he forgets he has two other kids."

Lani cleared her throat and ventured, "We were talking about that, after I told him I'd let Michiko know we were all definitely coming to this reunion. And he said he hadn't had even school pictures in a few years, and he missed them. He's been trying to think of some way to suggest to you that they come visit sometimes, if they want to. I know it's been a long time, and he doesn't want to push them, but he'd like it a lot."

"I think we could work something out," Myeko said and smiled a little. "They mostly think of Nick as their father now, but I don't think they should lose sight of the family they were born into. Man, I never thought I'd be saying something like that, but…I guess this whole thing has really opened my eyes. If Hachiro's willing to work with us—you and me and Nick—I think we could set something up. There's still almost two weeks before school starts. If you're feeling up to it, they could go back with you for a visit, maybe for a week or so, and reconnect with Hachiro."

"I think we can manage," Lani said. "Noelle could be a big help for me, actually. It'd be nice to have another female around…someone who can talk back, unlike poor little Olivia in here. If she doesn't mind being in the middle of a load of boys again, she and I could maybe get acquainted a little bit. But it's up to them. I think their primary focus should be on visiting their dad, and the boys and I come second."

"We'll talk about it," Myeko agreed, nodding. "Thanks, Lani. I gotta admit…I didn't expect to like you this much, but wouldn't you know it, I think we could be friends."

"I had a feeling that was possible," Michiko said, beaming. "Kayoko kept telling me I was a rabid Pollyanna, but I just said she was too cynical and ignored her. So, now, don't you feel better, Myeko? Aren't you glad you decided to bring the kids?"

"Yeah, yeah, I do, I am, thanks very much. Now look, while everybody else is having their baseball moment, why don't we take advantage of the break we got here and try talking about something else completely?"

"I know what I want to talk about. Michiko, I want to hear all about life as a queen, and Myeko, I want to know what celebrities you've met and interviewed. It'll give me a chance to live life vicariously through you, and I can remind myself that there's a world out there beyond my testosterone-soaked world and my comfortable upper-middle-class house." Lani leaned forward with eager anticipation, and Michiko and Myeko both laughed and obliged her. All the while, Myeko was feeling amazed at the camaraderie she was developing with her ex-husband's current wife, but glad and even relieved. She was even almost looking forward to talking with Hachiro.

§ § § -- August 22, 2005 – Lilla Jordsö

"I never would've imagined it," said Leslie, turning from the computer in hers and Christian's suite at the royal castle. "Myeko said Alexander and Noelle both agreed to spend this week with Hachiro and Lani in Hawaii before school starts again, and they both seemed glad about it, even Noelle. I guess she figures that now that Lani's expecting a girl, she won't feel quite so alone."

"Sounds like a happy ending to me," Christian observed with a chuckle.

"I just say, it's about time Hachiro acknowledged he has two more kids," Leslie said.

"Don't forget," Christian reminded her, "Myeko was as much to blame as he, even if she was keeping her children to herself out of misplaced fear. It's as well they've worked out the situation as they have." He approached the chair and grasped her hands, pulling her to her feet and gathering her into his embrace. "On the other hand, you, my darling, need to get over your own antagonism toward the man. You have a way of blaming him for the entire thing, when Myeko shared it equally, and I think you know it. You never know, perhaps he's grown up at last."

Leslie snorted. "Huh. I'll believe it when I see it, and I'm in no hurry to see it, trust me." Christian laughed, and she softened, smiling back. "But I think they're off to a good start, anyway. Heck, Lani even made her one kid give Alexander's stolen cars back, so everyone got a happy ending."

"Wonderful. Break out the champagne," Christian said grandly, and they laughed again and hugged each other.

* * *

_Thanks for your patience while I took more time than I intended in posting this story. __:) I am thinking of opening a forum for this category where anyone who is interested can pitch story ideas at me and I can check on them as time permits. (Harry, thanks for the Kennedy idea you offered in a review some stories back—I don't know if I can do it justice, but I'll certainly keep it in mind.) Meanwhile, I'm combing through the remaining stockpiled ideas for the next tale, and I hope to have at least the first chapter posted soon._


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